Mortlach 16 Year Old

A couple of years ago, under the pretext of a conference in Edinburgh about Italian Literature, we bought this Mortlach, our very first bottle of whisky: since then, nothing has ever been the same.

It seems that in his Whisky Bible Jim Murray is not so kind with Mortlachs, often alluding to the high regard that these whiskies have in the German market: and he doesn't seem to consider it a point of glory. Let's see.

N: quite pungent and rich. First you have, guess what?, sherry and malt and a far acetone; after a while, a sweet soft smokiness arises; it reminds me some of those mild and sweet pipe tobaccos (not the artificially aromatized). Then, there are some of the typical sherry influences: dried friut, raisins, maybe Smyrna figs. Whiffs of demerara sugar. Quite nice, it starts with sweetness but develops towards a slightly more bitter profile (creme brulée?); red fruits.

B: very soft: at first (and I am a bit surprised, I must say) it's really on bitter notes, with some wood involved. It quickly goes sweet, and this is probably the most satisfying experience in this tasting: red fruits, currants, again dried fruits, even dates if I am not wrong. The pipe tobacco comes back reminding those smoky and woody notes we had on the nose, plus again brown sugar (not heroin!). Reminds of some sweet southern wines (Marsala), in a positive way.

F: dry and not so long, even if wood and a gentle smokiness try to stand. Very soft notes of red fruits.

Even if it is not that complex, it surely is a very nice and enjoyable after-dinner malt. It seems a perfect introduction to sherried whiskies.

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