Mortlach Douglas Laing's Platinum Selection 18 Y.0.

I was incredibly lucky to come to one Moscow whisky event where one of the guests recommended that I try this rare whisky which there were only 242 bottles of in the entire world! Cask strength (58,1%), natural color, un-chillfiltered, single cask 18 Y.O. Mortlach from a sherry butt...It couldn't be any better than this! I felt incredibly privileged to have such a dram. Never in my life had I thought I'd ever get to taste something like that! How was it? Here's my tasting notes...

NOSE: beautiful, harmonious combination of complex vanilla, cinnamon and other "winter" spices with that delightful understated sherry. Dry aromatic wood, gentle floral notes that remind me a lot of Bushmills profile, a classic moist rum-soaked Christmas Cake, raisins, orange zest, black tea, cherries, chocolate and some perfume-like aromas as well. Incredibly rich and complex! 24/25

TASTE: (without water) big oily explosion of sweet and sour flavors at the front with soft, slightly bitter tannins in the background. Orange pith, orange zest, dried fruits, spices, oak and bitter grapefruit skin at the very finish. 24/25

FINISH: tea, gentle slightly bitter grapefruit skin that stays with you for a short while, but then vanishes. 22/25

BALANCE: 24/25

Total Score: 94/100

Overall impression: this is a whisky to remember! It's like meeting your favorite celebrity and having a small talk, after which that celebrity goes away and you know you're very unlikely to ever bump into him again. It leaves you slightly depressed about the fact that you'll never have another dram of it ever again. That is both saddening and beautiful.

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