We’ve had some sherry matured or finished or Ace’ed {whatever you want to call it} whiskies in this year’s Special Releases but this one’s different, it’s BIG and sherried and exactly what I was hoping for. This is a 26 year old single malt which was drawn from fresh-toasted first-fill Pedro Ximenez & Oloroso Sherry seasoned casks before being bottled at 53.3% ABV.
Mortlach 26yo (SR 2019) ,53.3%, £1,495 (MOM)
Nose: Big thick bad-ass sherry, yes this the real deal if your’e a sherry lover : starting with black tea, and oodles of dried fruit : quite a lot of sweet sultanas, prunes, caramelized apples, toffeed black fruit, with a jammy quality to it, very thick and deep, leather and polished oak, very nice stuff, with the sherry and big oak notes, and Gouache paint.
Palate: Sweet dried fruit, mostly on dates, sultanas and figs, with a spicy edge : think pepper, ginger and some mint… It’s quite dirty and tarry and you can even get some wood char notes as well as more caramelized apples, black tea and some a syrupy texture, viscous and chew-able. There’s also some orange sponge cake decorated with orange peel bits on the top, hints of cardamom and cinnamon as well.
Finish: Dates, Tarte Tatin , polished wood and char.
Conclusion: Maybe not the most delicate, and not packing a lot of “finesse” , but the big Mortlach distillate handles the sherry very well. A lovely older big sherried Mortlach, with enough wood and spice to match the sherry. I like this A lot. But hey Diageo, what’s with the pricing? 1,500 quid???
Score: 89/100
Available at Master of Malt online shop , £1,495