Mortlach 22 Year Old Maltman

It's always exciting to sample a distillery for the first time and I'd had my eyes on Mortlach for a while now. Especially after reading a lot of rave reviews about the 16 year old Flora & Fauna release.

After managing to snag one I went out in search of other Mortlachs only to realize there was no such thing as an original Mortlach. Owned by Diageo this distillery simply produces spirit for the Johnnie Walker blend and, thus, never released as an original single malt.

However, the spirit is so good that independent bottlers routinely buy casks from the distillery to mature and bottle as their own. And this 22 year old Maltman is an example of that.

Owned by Meadowside Blenders Maltman produce a range of award-winning single malts. Run by the father and son team of Donald & Andrew Hart this independent bottler has a solid reputation.

Distilled on March 7, 1990 and bottled April 19, 2012 this 22 year old spirit has spent it's entire life in a bourbon cask (#1650).

Nose: Crisp barley. Green apples. Melons. White grapes. Vanilla with hints of peat oak. Sugarcane. Ginger. Lemon grass. Very fruity and fresh. A very familiar Speyside nose.

Palate: Those classic Speyside flavors again. Sugarcane. Ginger. Mild lemon. Vanilla. Coconut (husk). Hint of fennel. The medium bodied delivery is strong and confident.

Finish: Medium. Mildy bitter fennel.

These are such classic flavors that there is no way you could not like this whisky.

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