Mortlach 20 Year Old 1978 Rare Malts Selection

Ah… a golden oldie from the Rare Malts Selection, longer in the bottle by now than it ever spent in the cask. Distilled in 1978 and bottled after 20 years at a whopping 62.2% ABV. You’ll have a very hard time getting hold of this bottle now – or need very deep pockets – but I got my hands on it via a raffle and poured it as the finale in my online masterclass last October.

Very bright and imposing nose on citrus and lots of grasses, orange cake, lemon pie (!), woodsmoke, candlewax, apricot liqueur and even some almonds. Slate. Gyproc. Eagle fern. This is very distillate driven indeed. And surprisingly un-sherried, if you know what I mean. But powerful and good.

Very sturdy on the palate, with the emphasis on lime and kiwi… did not see that coming. Lovely notes of oak, mildly drying, but the alcohol is perfectly integrated. Great old school Mortlach with some green notes like thyme and even rosemary. Liquorice candy and aniseed kick in. I’m in seventh heaven.

The finish is long, green and grassy with a lovely trace of woodsmoke at the death.

Boy, oh boy, they don’t make ‘m like that no more. Doesn’t get much more old school, I suppose. Sigh.

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