Review by: The Muskox

You’ve got to celebrate Christmas with a warming Christmassy dram – this was my selection this past December (I’ve been saving the review for this countdown to #1000!). This dusty Mortlach has been on the single malt menu at Allen’s in Toronto for years. With the famous Feathers Pub sadly fading into history, Allen’s is now probably the best place in town to drink top-shelf malts for cheap. Not to mention their excellent food and annual Steak Festival.

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Distillery: Mortlach.

Bottler: Signatory Vintage.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 57.7%. Cask strength.

Age: 22 years. Distilled September 1st 1975. Bottled September 18th 1997.

Cask type: “Oak casks”.

Price: I think this was $45 CAD for an ounce at the bar.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Huge with sweet and oaky richness. Brown sugar, toasted coconut, Fig Nutons, a… Mai Tai? All sorts of oily wood notes – cedar closet, cigar smoke, birch bark. Root beer and browned butter. Hints of savouriness here, almost a soy sauce flavour.

Palate: Thick and syrupy texture. Arrives dry and woody, starting in an earthen cellar, then coming up to rich sweetness. Rich caramel and butterscotch, pears, rancio, pineapple fried in brown sugar and rum (if you’ve never tried this, drop everything and try it now). The development is highly extended: first comes the wood. Old leather armchair, cigars, burlap, then allspice and nutmeg, then deep herbs.

Finish: Very long and deep. There are winey tannins here, but the whisky is also at its darkest and most fragrant. Here come the old books, incense, earth, and meatiness. Beef Bourguignon and chocolate ganache!

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Peering at someone else’s Christmas fruitcake through a frosty window”

Conclusion: What an experience. Huge, rich, oaky, meaty, nutty, spicy… great mouthfeel and finish, too. The platonic ideal of old, sherry-cask Mortlach.

Final Score: 92.

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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.