Our Dream Drams evening started with this mighty Mortlach – a mere 37 year old from Gordon & MacPhail.
Mortlach 37 year (1976/2013) 43% G&MP
What did we think? Initially the following…
- Nose – Beautifully restrained, old style with lovely cereals, wet leaf, sultanas, black pepper
- Palate – Meaty – dare I say beefy? Full-bodied, bacon, soya, oily, fabulous feel on the tongue, hint of peppers and spice
- Finish – Drops off quite quickly, then comes back… it is very much there but quite subdued with a hint of coriander
What made this whisky really worth paying attention to was the way each sip gave something different. As we kept chatting it revealed different dimensions… as it opened up, its character shifted…
- Nose – Cloves, mint, basil… increasingly herbal
- Palate – Lovely on the palate, still chewy with a dash of spice
- Finish – Astounding! We almost wondered if this was the same whisky! Why? The finish was absolutely fabulous. A long gorgeous pleasing finish
The more time we spent, the more we enjoyed. It was well-balanced, with many layers… Returning after some time, brought a lovely powdered vanilla and sugar to the nose, simply delicious on the palate and that truly fabulous finish. Perhaps even with the slightest hint of coal fired smoke?
Overall its character was complex yet surprisingly light.
Talk turned to how for whiskies with such long maturation, being in a 2nd fill cask becomes an advantage as it slowly imparts character… however the balance in this case was achieved, the results were superb.
Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt have to say:
- Nose: Sultanas, vanilla and cracked black pepper.
- Palate: The sultanas become raisins and the black pepper becomes smokier finally there is a nutty quality that emerges with water.
- Finish: The finish is fruity with notes of figs and dates with a little ground pepper to round it off.
- Overall: A vibrant and fruity Mortlach.
Mortlach 1976 Bottling Note
Mortlach was where William Grant of Glenfiddich and Balvenie fame started his career in whisky. To this day it remains a firm favourite of many whisky fans so it is no wonder that Gordon and MacPhail had to bottle this one.
Our “Dream Drams” evening with Krishna Nakula included:
- Lochside 24 year (1981/2005) 43% G&MP Old Rare
- Mosstowie 35 year (1979/2015) 48.1% Signatory Cask Strength
- Aultmore 5 year (2007/2012) 66.8% Master of Malt
- Laphroaig “T5” 21 year (1987/2008) 53.4% – Bonus Dram!
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This certainly sounds like an out-of-the-ordinary dram! While I already had blends and grains of similar age and beyond, I never sipped a single malt THAT old…
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It was quite the dram. The oldest I’ve had was a Glen Grant 60 year old!
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Wow! How was that? For me, the oldest was a North British 53yo… I remember it to be really exceptional! But it was also one of the last pours I had after almost 4 hours of dramming, so I guess I would have loved anything at that point. 😀
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Whereas for me… it was the 1st of the evening, sampled completely blind. And yes – exceptional! https://whiskylady.co/2017/08/01/a-60-year-old-whisky-yes-please-glen-grant-60-year-1950-2010-40/
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