10 June 2010

Whisky: 21 yo Mortlach

Been awhile since we had a whisky review, I must fix that. I shall gather the forces and find some whiskies to taste.


Mortlach 21yo Gordon and Macphail 43%

Nose: rubber, cut grass, sherry?, sweet

Palate: honey, sweet, masses of raisins, thick, incredibly smooth, quite delicate, some hint of sherry

Finish: raisins, unbelievable amounts of them, medium, intriguing, and heat grows after a taste or two.

This is the one that hooked me back in late 90s. I've had many more whiskies since then - even some Mortlach (Adelphi, SMWS, etc.), but I thought it would be nice to revisit the 21yo.  So is it worth it? well yes and no. In comparison to many I've had it's lacking complexity and the raisins are very prominent. This may reflect the absence of a cask strength whisky, compared to that a 43% will generally come up short (and yes, we all know the standout exception). The good is definitely that this whisky is going down very very easily, by god it's so smooth. It's very easy drinking, and as an initial malt, I don't think I could have gotten better. Rating: 7.5 or 8/10.

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