Mortlach 16 Year Distiller’s Dram

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Mortlach

Region: Speyside

Price: $90

ABV: 43.4%

Age: 5 Year.

Barrel Type: Ex-Sherry Cask

Color: 1.3, Russet Muscat.

This review was of a first pour out of the bottle, tasted after letting rest for some time.

Nose: This one needs a LOT of time to air out. Despite only being a hair stronger than 40% ABV, it smells straight out of the bottle heavily of ethanol/rubbing alcohol. The longer you let it sit out, there are some very vibrant and lively fruit notes that come out. White grapes, apricots, and very tart green apple all show themselves.

Palate: It’s a fairly clean flavor. There’s some fruit here, mostly apricots and champagne grapes, but not a whole lot going on. Towards the back, there’s something…different…that I can’t quite put my finger on. Perhaps this is the famed “meatiness” of Mortlach? With some water, the dram sweetens up significantly with sugar, caramel, and malt sweetness coming out. A bit of heat.

Finish: Medium in length. Slightly on the hot side. Lots of burnt sugar with hints of sweetness mixed in with bitter notes.

Conclusion: When I took the whisky matching quiz a few months ago on the Diageo website, it spat out that I’d probably enjoy their relaunched Mortlach. On paper (or at least reading the side of the box), it does sound like something I’d enjoy. Unfortunately, the first impressions of this bottle have not been particularly great. The alcohol in here, while just tinge higher than the usual Diageo bottling, takes a really long time to dissipate. There’s not a whole lot going on, just little bits of fruit here and there. There’s also a bit of a youthful heat to this to the point of if I wasn’t reading the label saying 16 years, I’d be guessing this was a 8-10 year old whisky. Maybe it’ll get better over time but as it stands it’s perfectly drinkable but far from exciting. At least the bottle is pretty.

Final Score: 76.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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