Mortlach 16 Year "Distiller's Dram"

Nose: Spiced apple juice, honey, orange marmalade, baking spices, some tangy, sour, sulphery notes, which I dont find objectionable. Palate: Light, sweet entry with fruity notes, some spicy heat, orange marmalade, stewed prunes, nutiness and more of that tangy, sour, sulpheriness. Finish: Medium length with a little smoulder.

Mortlach 16-year-old is bottled at 43.4% ABV and is a mix of whisky aged in refill bourbon, first fill bourbon, and European oak sherry casks. It sells for around $100-140. This is a Mortlach. There have been many releases of Mortlach that are not Mortlachs, and many of those have been official releases by Diageo. When a Mortlach is a Mortlach, it is a spectacular whisky. A Mortlach needs some age, and probably some sherry influence, to become a Mortlach. This has both. The 16 years is right around the time Mortlach’s mature, and I haven’t tried any NAS releases or anything much younger than 16 years that have been worthy of the Mortlach on the label. The sherry influence in this whisky is prominent, and if the casks were a little sulfered, it is hidden well by Mortlach’s own characteristic sulfur profile. Dried shitake mushroom is a beautiful complement to a rich chicken broth. This whisky gives me memories of that broth, with molten, orange-scented candlewax, ripe plums, and rotting cardboard left out in a rainstorm. The palate is still meaty, with chocolate covered clementines that lead up to a burst of spiciness, followed by a long finish of just-burnt matchsticks, taro root, and prunes. In 2024, I am compiling a list of widely available and reasonably priced single malts that are of exemplary character. So far, I only have the Port Charlotte 10, the Bunnahabhain 12, and this Mortlach 16. Buy this one.

Mortlach 12 was solid. They earned my business going forward, and the next logical step was to move up to their 16-year. I had no expectations when I tried the 12, but now that I’ve had it, I’m very much looking forward to this 16-year. Nose: Macadamia and toasted almond. Orange and tangerine citrus. Vanilla, shortbread cookie, and toffee. Graham cracker and honey. Peanut butter. Stella D’oro. Raspberry, apple, blackberry, raisin, and plum. Pomegranate and cranberry. Cinnamon and black pepper. Plenty of baking spice and oak. Rich nose. Palate: Honey, vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, and toffee. Milk chocolate. Stella D’oro. Almond butter and toasted almond. Walnut. Orange and tangerine citrus. Apple, pear, apricot, plum, and golden raisin. Honeydew. Raspberry and blackberry. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Pomegranate juice. Apple, pear, apricot, golden raisin. Plum, raspberry, and blackberry. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, Stella D’oro. Almond butter and toasted almond. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Oak. Moderate length. This is awesome. Allegedly a sherry bomb. The packaging tells me it’s exclusively aged in sherry casks. It drinks like a bourbon-sherry hybrid. I’d guess more bourbon than sherry influence. And I can appreciate this. Sometimes a sherry-aged malt is too plush—the casks completely overpower the spirit. The Mortlach profile takes center stage with this one—to the benefit of the whisky. A 16-year old single malt for $95? Steal. As if it wasn’t good enough on its face, the VFM is exceptional. 4.25/5. Looking forward to trying the 20 year to complete the core lineup. As for this, it’s a great, unique, and well-priced Speysider.