Mortlach 21 Year Old / Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & Macphail – one of the leading bottlers of Scotland – has a huge stock of Mortlach casks. They started filling them very early on. Remember the Mortlach 70 Year Old that appeared in their Generations Series in 2008? It was the oldest Mortlach ever. We have to make due with a much younger version, but still matured for 21 years. It was bottled 5 years ago.

The light color had put me on the wrong foot. I was expecting a bourbon matured Mortlach, but this is clearly a vatting that also contains sherry matured whisky, as the nose not only offers white fruit and vanilla, but also a hint of Graeffe sugar, flowers, apricots, pineapple, farmer’s butter and – unfortunately – a hint of sulfur. Luckily that last evaporates quickly to be replaced by a sweet not of paxarette.

It is oily and soft – it could have done with a little more body – with clear notes of white and yellow fruit, but again that sulfuric note that is a bit off-putting. The spices become quite loud with lots of oak and green herbs.

In the finish, which can be called long, more clear and sweet sherry influences shine through. A little lift of menthol at the death.

Solid Mortlach, but not a top dram in my experience. The sulfur is to blame.

Find where to buy Mortlach whisky