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.