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93
Gordon & MacPhail (distilled at Mortlach), 11 year old,k 1993 vintage, 60.7%, $80
Full-flavored, confident, and very dynamic. Bright fruit, teasing toffee, complex spices, cereal grain, and underlying light leather notes are all tightly integrated. Think an 11 year old whisky can’t be mature or complex? Think again! A Speyside powerhouse! (Available in the Chicago area.)
(2nd Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#2)
92
Gordon & MacPhail (distilled at Mortlach), 36 year old, 1970 vintage, 43%, $250
Deep amber, mahogany color. Very mature and well-balanced. Notes of maple syrup on pancakes, roasted chestnuts, dates, pot still rum, burnished leather, maduro tobacco, and subtle Moroccan spice. Soft, stately finish. Older whiskies often show an exotic side to their personalities as they mellow out with age, especially if the wood influence doesn’t dominate. This is a very nice example of the genre.
(3rd Quarter 2007 Issue-Vol. 16#3)
89
Mackillop’s Choice (distilled at Mortlach), 22 year old, 1982 vintage, 43%, $100
Toffee and nougat, with a lacing of cotton candy. It then turns richly nutty-almost chewy-with notes of dried apricot, sultana, and a touch of red currant. Firm, dry, oak resin finish. A well-structured whisky, indicative of the Mortlach pedigree.
(2nd Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#2)
88
Wild Scotsman (distilled at Mortlach), 1994 vintage, 13 year old, 46%, $65
This whisky shows the true potential of Mortlach—and at a youthful age, too! Quite fragrant and very complex on the nose and palate. Chewy toffee with almonds, vanilla fudge, ripe barley, and nougat, with underlying pit fruits, dried spice, and a hint of leather on the finish. Very fulfilling.
(1st Quarter 2008 Issue-Vol. 17#1)
87
Scott’s Selection (distilled at Mortlach, 1961, 39 year old, 40.8%)
Straw gold color. Very mature aromas of oak and citrus, with a hint of smoke, dry vanilla, floral and spice notes. Flavors are very mature and fairly dry throughout, mirroring the aroma’s dominant oaky vanilla notes, with citrus, and subtle smoke. Long, lingering finish.
Style: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Price: approx. $175. Available nationwide in limited quantities (imported by International Brands, 860/677-0473).
Most whiskies pushing 40 years old have flavors that become dominated by the oak, to the point of being one-dimensional, completely losing balance and any distillery character it once had. So don’t expect this veteran whisky to express a complexity found in younger expressions. In fact, this whisky is ideal for anyone wanting an education in what an old whisky tastes like. The dry, oaky citrus notes are very indicative of most whiskies I’ve sampled that were 40 years old or older. Having said this, there is a soothing, restorative nature to this whisky that is very compelling. And the distillery character is still there, albeit muted. This is a tribute to the integrity of the whisky and the quality of the oak it was aged in. But don’t add any water to this whisky. It is very fragile-almost brittle-in nature, and any addition of water completely breaks down the whisky’s structure.
(1st Quarter 2001 Issue-Vol. 10#1)
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