Was the title of this bottle a reference to Deep Space Nine’s resident restauranteur extraordinaire? I have no idea. A good friend poured this bottle as part of his 1989 Birthday extravaganza (no connection to Taylor Swift… as far as I know). It took me a while to wrap up a review of the dram, but here I am, the Mortlach madness circling around me. While the bottle gave its maturation as a butt of some kind, it must have been a refill, as the color is fairly light.

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Whisky: Mortlach 11 Year (1989), SMWS 76.22 “Quark cream cake”

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 58.5%

Cask: Butt

Age: 11Year (Distilled March 2003, Bottled June 2000)

Notes: Birthday cake frosting, vanilla, and white flowers— it was a birthday party in the garden. Plenty of Mortlach’s herbal character followed with mellow floral elements, green grass, orange blossom, ginger, honeysuckle, and clovers. It was summery with citrus, pepper, and grass stains from a rough soccer game. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was initially creamy with loads of birthday cake frosting, butterscotch, and vanilla, but quickly took an herbal turn, crashing into the hedges. Cake pops and butterscotch gave way to overgrown thyme and rosemary in the garden, honey suckle, grass stains, clover, and white flowers. The dram had a peppery kick at the end with occasional hints of something fermented, dandelion and citrus wine. The finish was medium-length with pepper, vanilla, and green grass.

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Score: 6 (78)

Mental Image: Slide Tackles and Cupcakes

Conclusion: This was an odd one. It was occasionally old-fashioned with its herbal, grassy disposition whose freshness slowly transitioned into a mustier and slightly fermented character at the end. It was also a bit old fashioned with its big butterscotch notes, like a grandpa offering a Wether’s Original candy. It also was a bit raw and unrefined, though in a charming way, that let the malt speak for itself. The influence of the wood was minimal, though certainly played a role in giving this a cake frosting character at the outset. Overall, characterful and fun, though a touch sweet for my taste.