Review #133: Mortlach 25yr 1987/2013, 59.4%, Adelphi, Cask #3100, 208 bottles

heard this one was good.

Or maybe it was a different 1987 Mortlach. Whatever. This is the one I have and -- I spilled a drop on my finger -- it tastes very bourbonny.

nose: toffee, grass, fruit, and charred oak. the toffee isn't sweet or overpowering; the grassiness veers into herbs, pepper, and cooked vegetable; the fruit is apricots and cooked apples; the oak is dry and smoky. Some malt and toolbox notes. too.

palate: a fight between rich toffee and dry oak. Meaty and sweet in the end.

finish: the wood lingers, and more fruit comes out -- cherries and bananas. More vanilla than before.


I take it there's a lot of barrel influence here, but the spirit holds up nicely to it. It makes me think of this Glen Spey but it's a whole lot better because it keeps a wide range of intense flavors, instead of being dominated by the toffee. Very accessible, too, even at 59.4%.

score: 90