Yet another mature Mortlach! Today’s Mortlach comes via Wemyss Malts who are not afraid to slap a silly name on their whiskies and adjust the abv downward if they think it’s for the best. Like a number of other independent bottlers, Wemyss have also set themselves up as distillery operators, and opened the Kingsbarns distillery in the Lowlands just over a decade ago in 2014.

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Whisky: Mortlach 25 Year (1997), Wemyss Malts “Supper Club”

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 51.7%

Cask: Hogshead

Age: 25 Years (Distilled 1997, Bottled 2022)

Notes: Black sugar buns and garden flowers painted a vibrant and malty impression of chrysanthemum tea, pineapple cookies, gardenia, and plumeria. More woody resins and rose buds waited further in with cucumbers and an old tome—yellow pages, frayed bindings, book glue, and a touch of mothballs. Medium-bodied and semi-syrupy, the flavor profile remained in the garden with green stems, bubbling fountains, moss, woodsy resins, plenty of soft florals, and sweet ginger. Gardenia to plumeria with notions of lilacs and mothballs as resinous undertones drifted toward dill, camphor, menthol, and clove oil. Bookish notions of yellow pages and binding glue lingered further in the background with a touch of spirited pepper at the end. The finish was medium to long and semi-waxy with citrus rinds, pepper, and garden flowers.

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Score: 7+ (86)

Mental Image: Balancing the Humors with Garden Rest

Conclusion: This had plenty of the herbal character I have come to appreciate from Mortlach, especially as the cask generally faded into the background allowing the malt to shine. I always thought the more garden and floral elements of Mortlach were a rarity, but in going through all these Mortlach drams, I now wonder if it is in fact the meatiness, which I had though was a core element, is the less common profile. What this lacked in meatiness, it made up for in wonderful old book and painting supply elements, all hallmarks of a very mature malt. The finish was nice and long with a wonderful weight resting on the palate after each sip.