We’re really getting into my favorite style of Mortlach now: sherry matured and old. This series of reviews has done a lot to cement my opinion as the older and sherry matured Mortlach have by and large been my favorites. Here we have another that was matured in a sherry butt and bottled by independent bottler Signatory Vintage— will it finally leave me feeling as though I have found the beast of Dufftown?

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Whisky: Mortlach 25 Year (1991), Signatory Vintage Cask 4244 for The Winebow Group

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 55%

Cask: Sherry Butt

Age: 25 Years (Distilled 14 May 1991, Bottled 19 July 2016)

Notes: The sherry cask was not shy as big stewed fruits and jammy berries launched a broadside to my senses. A slightly metallic meatiness hung in the air as the fruity vapors dispersed with rich butter, black pepper, and leather— it reminded me of the pan drippings from a roast. A touch of pecan and brown sugar waved hello before more old tobacco scented wood— old wooden lockers still carrying the tobacco smoke of a by-gone era, cedar, and sandalwood left me thinking about a posh tennis club locker room. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was initially big and fruity with loads of raspberry and currant jam. As brown sugar and a mellow pecan nuttiness faded, more tennis shoes, tennis balls, and rubber soles appeared— a new grip for the racket maybe. A wonderful meatiness took shape from the sulfurous elements, and continued with black pepper and snuffed candle smoke at the end. The finish was medium to long and slightly drying with pepper, leather, and a kiss of currants.

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Score: 8 (87)

Mental Image: Aroma of History in the Tennis Lockers

Conclusion: A lovely Mortlach, this embodied more of what I had thought to be the character of the “beast of Dufftown.” It had that wonderful mix of sherry and malt, with the two elements coming together to elevate the meatier elements. There was some sulfur, more so on the palate than the aroma, so the sulfur sensitive may want to steer clear, but I thought it worked with the overall arch of flavors and evolution on the palate.