Review by: Raygun

Happened to have a couple of Mortlach near-clones. Bourbon casks, almost the same age, distilled in consecutive years. Thought they’d make a good side by side. I know a lot of people think Mortlach pairs best with sherry, but haven’t had a sherry cask that matches the best bourbon cask Mortlach I’ve had, a Signatory pick from Binny’s. However, there are plenty of humdrum such casks, too. Just never know. Let’s see what we’ve got here. Rested about 15 minutes. Reviewed from samples.

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Adelphi 2003 

Distillery: Mortlach 

Bottler: Adelphi 

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 58.1%

Age: 17 years. Distilled in 2003 and bottled in 20200.  

Cask type: First-fill bourbon hogshead, #800264. 223 bottles.  

Price: 

Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Honey, vanilla, and cereal. There’s some faint citrus, like grapefruit, and some florals. The alcohol is quite sharp at full strength.    

Palate: Vanilla cookies, barley cereal, and honey. There’s a nice herbal touch, like tarragon and mint, but less fruit. This is more about the vanilla and cereal. Florals still very present, notably lavender. Pleasant richness, especially heightened with some water. 

Finish: Got some heat. Cookies, vanilla milkshake, and more herbal/grassy flavor. Not overly oaky. A little nutmeg comes out. A touch bitter here. Hard to get the heat moderated. Takes a fair amount of water.    

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Hart Brothers 2004

Distillery: Mortlach 

Bottler: Hart Brothers 

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 52.6%

Age: 16 years. Distilled in July, 2004, bottled in March 2021.  

Cask type: Unstated, but has to be bourbon from the look of it. 258 bottles. Probably a hogshead.

Color: 0.1 white wine. Extremely pale. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Caramel, dunnage warehouse. Juniper and allspice. I’ve had some very fruity Mortlach, but this one isn’t at all.   

Palate: Intense caramel and juniper. Tarragon. Strongly herbal, and also a big caramel bomb. Pretty strange when put together. Thick mouthfeel, which I often find in Mortlach.  

Finish: The caramel theme continues. Allspice, tarragon, and parsley. Some dunnage flavor creeps back in. Hint of vanilla. Very drying.

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Conclusion: Been looking for a nice fruity Mortlach for a while. That quest will continue, as neither fits that bill. The Adelphi was heavy on the cereal, vanilla, and florals, while the Hart Brothers was simultaneously one of the biggest caramel bombs I’ve ever had and also strongly herbal. Hart Brothers has not impressed me much with anything I’ve tried from them, and that streak continues. It’s fine. The Adelphi is noticeably better. 

Buy a bottle? Not wild about either of these.

Score:
Adelphi: 81
Hart Brothers: 74

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)