Mortlach 1998/2013 ‘Pastille Bouquet’
Single cask bottlings of Mortlach usually are very good, so I was excited to see a Mortlach included in the recent Wemyss Malts Tweet Tasting. As it turned out, it was a very untraditional Mortlach, but a very good one nonetheless.
Mortlach 1998/2013 ‘Pastille Bouquet’ (46%, Wemyss Malts, 325 bts)
Nose: This one is pretty complex. Grass, hay, green apple, malt. Lots of fruit. Hints of lemon grass and gummy bears. It’s fresh and fruity, just the way I like it.
Taste: Bam! Lots of pepper. Unexpected for a whisky that isn’t bottled at cask strength. It’s less citrusy an also not as light as the nose. More bitter. Fresh tangerine squeeze and lots of wood spices. Not at all what I was expecting based on the nose. Very enjoyable though.
Finish: A medium to long finish. Citrus and bitter grapefruit come to mind.
Rating: 88
Not that I’ve had dozens of Mortlachs, but I’ve had a few and this is unlike any other I’ve ever tasted. Mortlach is usually excellent, and this Wemyss bottling continues that tradition, only with a twist. I would love to have a bottle of this stuff!
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
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