Mortlach 1988 30 Years Old (Gordon & MacPhail)
Just a few weeks ago the oldest official Mortlach ever was announced by the distillery. At 47-years of age it is very old indeed, although the 75-year-old Mortlach that Gordon & MacPhail released still takes the crown.
The Mortlach I review today is also from Gordon & MacPhail, yet far from as old as the aforementioned releases. Still, three decades of wood aging is nothing to sneeze at, and it’s from a refill sherry hogshead to boot. This should be good.
Mortlach 1988 30 Years Old (48.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, C#18/068)
Nose: Lots of milk chocolate and malted barley, with plenty of notes of straw as well, before making way for redcurrant, a hint of sweet lemonade and red apples. Finally a touch of honey as well. Balanced and complex.
Taste: A nice sweet, fruity hit at first, with honey and oranges at the forefront. However, it is also somewhat chalky, with a touch of white pepper. A whiff of beeswax too, as well as leather, shoe polish and tobacco leaves.
Finish: A tad herbal, but mainly an encore of the excellent flavours described above. Long.
Score: 91
I’m very taken by this Mortlach, which shows a wonderful complexity, and reminds me somewhat of another great I tasted from this distillery.
Sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail
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.
Hi Thijs, a lovely Mortlach indeed. Where did you get the information that this is a refill sherry hogshead? The label only says refill American hogshead. Thanks, Rob
Hmm, I’d have to check. I wrote this post a little while ago. Let me ask someone at G&M if my info is correct. I’ll get back to you.
Just got an answer: it indeed is a refill sherry hogshead.