Mortlach 16 Year Old 1995 C&S Dram Collection

The motto of C&S Dram Collection’s owner Andrea Caminneci is ‘If I like the whisky and the price is right, I will bottle it’. I will be putting two Mortlach he selected head to head: this 14 Year Old from 1998 (bottled in 2013) against a 16 Year Old from 1995 (bottled in 2011). The cask numbers are 3805 and 3398 respectively. A little H2H experiment. The difference in color is huge. Let’s finish with the Morlach from 1995, which is a lot darker than it’s younger brother.

Surprising nose on almond oil, coconut in chocolate (well, that’s Bounty, right?) and yoghurt. Very pleasant and summer. Corn on the barbeque. Smells a bit like suntan lotion, funnily enough. A very gentle hint of gravy that makes me smile.

Creamy and piquant on ginger, black pepper and nutmeg on the palate. The fruit slowly evolves towards the dried variety, but coconut and marzipan call for most of your attention. Then an apple and apricot pastry kick in. Some woodsmoke develops, making your mouth comfortably warm.

With a bit of goodwill, you can call the finish long. Softly spicy, it offers up a stew of yellow fruit. Wood glue at the death.

There are similarities with cask 3805, surely, but this one is darker, if you know what I mean. I’m not just referring to the color. Lovely Mortlach indeed.

Find where to buy Mortlach whisky