Remember when Diageo introduced the new premium range of Mortlach in 2014? Man, that was some scary ish. From what I can tell, it proved far from a success, so luckily we can focus on independent bottlings again, such as this Mortlach 1990 from Scott’s Selection.
This actually was bottled a couple years before the premiumisation of Mortlach, and has spent its time maturing in an refill ex-bourbon hogshead, leaving plenty of room for that fun Mortlach spirit to shine. Bring it on!
Mortlach 1990/2012 (52,2%, Scott’s Selection)
Nose: Malted barley with a hit of leather, cigar tobacco and a whisper of sulphur. A touch of lemon yoghurt, accompanied by faint notes of fudge. Some shiitake mushrooms, as well as lightly smoked paprika powder.
Taste: Plenty of smoke and spices (cinnamon, cloves, lots of pepper). Slightly medicinal and earthy too, as well as a good amount of bitter lemon. This is a fun whisky. Never boring.
Finish: Medicinal and earthy touches, with finally some mushroom.
Rating: 88
You can never fault Mortlach for being generic. This bottling too has a pretty unique profile, with a very interesting medicinal side to it. Not everybody will like this funky stuff, but I sure enjoyed it.
Photo: Whiskybase
I really liked the Mortlach 1990/2007 (56%, Scott’s Selection). Based on your review, I should also try to get a sample of this slightly older Mortlach from Scott’s Selection.
It is a very interesting whisky. I hope you manage to find a sample.