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Mortlach 1998 ‘Single Cask Seasons – Summer 2015′ (SV)

Christopher Hayn — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 21:21:30 +0000

Single Cask Seasons is a bottling series from independent bottler Signatory Vintage for German whisky importer Kirsch Import. The goal of this series is to find a whisky that matches the season of the year. It’s been a while since my review of the pretty excellent Spring 2015 expression. Since then, three other expressions have been released, so I have some catch up to do.

So without further ado, let’s start.

Facts

Name:	Mortlach 1998 ‘Single Cask Seasons – Summer 2015′
Bottler:	Signatory Vintage
Bottling Series:	Single Cask Seasons
Bottled for:	Kirsch Whisky Import
Distilled:	May 1998
Bottled:	June 2015
Age:	17 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery:	Mortlach
Cask Type:	55 months Oloroso Sherry Butt Finish
Cask No:	4
No. of Bottles:	814
Strength:	47.4% vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

Sweet sherry. Pretty fruity with oranges, peaches, pears, honeydews and some cherries. Then milk chocolate, light caramel and vanilla. A bit floral, perhaps cut flowers. Dried wood.

Taste

Sweetish. Pineapples, melons and guava. More tropical fruits. Vanillin sugar, balanced by bitter oak and some spices. Milk chocolate and nut liqueur. Firecracker smoke.

Finish

Medium to short. Fruity and slightly bitter. Oak. A bit weak though.

Overall

Summerish, but not necessarily Mortlach-ish. Where is the meat?

Score: good but not exceptional (84 / 100)

Sample provided by spiritscorner.eu

Mortlach 1995 ‘Stem Ginger Preserve’ (Wemyss Malts)

Christopher Hayn — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:58:47 +0000

Not that long ago, I reviewed a 24 Years Old Mortlach Cask Strength from Signatory Vintage. And today I have another independent bottled Mortlach for you, namely the 1995 ‘Stem Ginger Preserve’ from Wemyss Malts.

Facts

Mortlach 1995 ‘Stem Ginger Preserve’ (Wemyss Malts)

Name:	Mortlach 1995 ‘Stem Ginger Preserve’
Bottler:	Wemyss Malts
Vintage:	1995
Bottled:	2014
Age:	19 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery:	Mortlach
Cask Type:	Hogshead
Number of bottles:	303
Strength:	46.0% Vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

A pretty unique nose for sure. Red Apples, bananas and exotic fruit syrup. Accompanied by mint chocolate, caramel and ginger marmalade. And sure enough, some meaty notes in the background, like you would expect from a Mortlach.

Taste

Thick and heavy. Almost chewy. Beef in fruity syrup and rasped ginger followed by sticky toffee pudding with orange liqueur and rum chocolate. Also some hints of white pepper in the back.

Finish

Long, thick and fruity. Again ginger. Touches of peppery oak.

Overall

A rather untypical (although one might say “modern”) Mortlach.

Score: 87 / 100

Mortlach 1990 Cask 6075 (SV ‘Cask Strength Collection’)

Christopher Hayn — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:46:01 +0000

It’s not that long that the only official Mortlach bottling was a 16 Years Old as part of the (now discontinued) Flora & Fauna series. But that changed pretty recently when they introduced a whole new range. This new range consists of a NAS called ‘Rare Old’, a 18 Years Old and a 25 Years Old. All three expressions are predominantly matured in ex-bourbon barrels and are bottled at 43.4% ABV. However, all three of them have one more thing in common: They ain’t cheap. The entry level ‘Rare Old’ (marketing nonsense as its best) costs around 60€, the 18 Years Old costs about 300€ and if you want to call a bottle of the 25 Years Old your own, you need to have really deep pockets. The price tag for a single bottle is around 750€! Now keep in mind, that all three bottlings are only half liter. It is safe to say that those new expressions are not aimed at the average Mortlach fan.

Lucky enough, there are independent bottlers like Signatory Vintage. The Mortlach 1990 from their ‘Cask Strength Collection’ was fully matured in a sherry butt for 24 years. And the best thing: At 150€ its only a seventh of the price of the OB 25 Years Old (price per liter).

Facts

Mortlach 1990 Cask 6075 (SV ‘Cask Strength Collection’)

Name:	Mortlach 1990 Cask 6075 (SV ‘Cask Strength Collection’)
Bottler:	Signatory Vintage
Bottling Series:	Cask Strength Collection
Distilled:	17.09.1990
Bottled:	02.12.2014
Age:	24 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery:	Mortlach
Cask Type:	Sherry Butt
Cask No.:	6075
No. of Bottles:	530
Strength:	51.6% vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

Very subtle sherry sets an interesting counterpoint to more “darker” notes of earth, dusty oak and coffee beans. Dried berries. And sure enough, there is dried beef in the background.

Taste

Thick and chewy. Starts with a lot of sweet caramel but turns into a real spice bomb after a few seconds. Also very dry now. The spiciness gets less with time and milk chocolate as well as meat come to light.

Finish

Long. Dry but also a bit sweet. A reasonable portion of oak followed by hints of menthol and fruits.

Overall

Not an easy sipper! Interesting, but a little bit all over the place.

Score: 85 / 100

Sample provided by whic.de