Mortlach 1989 Gordon & Macphail Shop Exclusive

This Mortlach can only be obtained in the shop in Elgin. It was bottled at 50% ABV and comes from one sherry cask that yielded a total of 282 bottles. It will set you back 130 quid, but then the stuff matured for a quarter of a century. If you know that Diageo just repositioned Mortlach as a luxury brand – with their official 25 Year Old fetching 750 EUR for a 50cl bottle – this is actually quite a bargain.

Wonderfully deep sherry on the nose. Leather, cinnamon, raisins and something that reminds me of glühwein, with quite a bit of honey. A touch of anise and even some smoke. A touch umami, as we have come to expect from older Mortlach. It is almost as if a scented candle with cranberry aroma is lit in the room. And I feel like I am standing in a woodshed. Freshly cut planks, I kid you not!

Full and creamy and spicy and smoky. It is off to a very good start on the palate. It is even somewhat dirty, if you know what I mean. Marinated raisins, maraschino cherries, dried apricots. Toasted oak. Cranberries. Cinnamon and cloves. Coffee with a dash of orange liqueur.

The long finish is again surprisingly smoky and even becomes a tad bitter as if from a sturdy espresso that sticks to the back of your tongue.

Wonderfully complex Mortlach, dirty and elegant at the same time. The beast of Dufftown in a tuxedo. Pity that you can only get it at the shop.

Find where to buy Mortlach whisky