Mortlach 12 Year "The Wee Witchie"

A solid representation of a 12-year single malt. Would be a fantastic pour for someone that’s easing their way into scotch. Nose is very pleasant with notes of butter, vanilla and cereal. Also nice on the palate. Quite rich and oily. Very fruit-forward with apples, peaches and vanilla. Almost drinks like a glass of Chardonnay. Finish is decently long with some dessert notes, I kept going back to butter cookies. Overall, a solid pour but I kept wanting just a bit more out of it.

I'm continuing to work through the bottles in my collection that I've yet to review. I've started using the Pantone color system, common in paint, because I was growing weary of using similar descriptors for most whiskies; Pantone affords a finer delineation between colors. This one is a clear version of Pantone 153 (a smidgen lighter than the Mortlach 16, which will be reviewed right after this. It's unclear if coloring is added. Sweet and subtly malty nose: strawberry-rhubarb pie, candied peanuts, and appropriately enough as we ease into Fall, pumpkin bread (I haven't had any since last Fall)--each of these a somewhat different manifestation of the sherry finishing. The palate begins with brown sugar; on the palate, there is a residual bacon note, some very gentle pepper, and a faint tannic bitterness on the long finish, which morphs into a dustiness. Overall, the impression is sweet, and a tad heavy, but a bit disjointed and lacking a "wow" factor. Nice to drink, but not a must-have. I bought this when I was buying more scotch whisky. It's a nice-to-have whisky if you've got a big enough collection and want a little arcana, but not something to seek out. 3.5 on the Distiller scale. 43.4% ABV. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Although a little less indulging than the 16 year old expression, this is a very good 12 year old Scotch, rich and smooth.

Nose: mint, vanilla, fruity hard candy Pallete: apple, meaty, spicy Finish: a little hot, vanilla / oak, caramel, leather