Whisky : Mortlach 25 Year, Le Gus’t ‘Selection XXV’

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 45.8%

Cask : Sherry Butt

Age : 25 Year (Distilled 18 March 1995, Bottled 28 Aug. 2020)

Nose : Fruit punch, herbal spice, and old papers.  A tantalizingly odd fruit punch came to mind right away with notes of tart lingonberry jam, honeycrisp apples, and watermelon rinds.  Herbal spices lingered in the background with coriander and something approaching dill; the spice led into notes of leather, burning candles, hot wax, and old papers.  It was the smell of an archival reading room with cartons of old papers and paraphernalia scattered on sturdy oak tables.

Palate : Medium bodied with a buttery texture and notes of fruit, herbs, and tropical florals.  Berry notes tumbled across the palate: blackberries, blue berries, boysenberries, before flowery notes of hibiscus and exotic pomegranate emerged.  The back end was strikingly herbal with thistle, menthol, anise, and a delicate white tea.

Finish :  Lingering sweet berries and subtle dry cinnamon.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Cloister Gardens

Notes :  I am not sure if the impression of the archive was one of nostalgia or trauma for me.  Historical research always sounds really fun, but depending on what you are doing and where you are doing it, it can  be arduous— but not in the fun and exciting Indiana Jones fashion.  I am naturally a fidgety and active person, so being pent up in a large quiet room for twelve to fifteen hours a day— hunched over a table carefully turning through brittle papers while trying not to toss everything into the air because nothing is organized how it should be— is just not my scene.  I did enjoy that last hour in the archives though, when the sunset started to go through the high windows and illuminate the room… and I figured out how many and which kebabs I was going to order after I got kicked out.

The archive has an energy and there is something intrinsically fun about shuffling through the two century old papers of a bureaucrat who probably wondered if anyone back at home was even reading their reports.  Each letter, each random packet of seeds, mud stained— or even blood stained— document feels like a little window into the past.

Okay, none of that really had much to do with this Mortlach.  This was surprisingly gentle and easy to drink compared to the G&M bottle I also reviewed recently.  They drams shared a certain tart berry profile, but this one was generally more subtle and with a surprising herbaceous element that came through strongly at the end.  This was pleasant to sip on and relax with, but it lacked the depth and richness that really captured my attention on other Mortlach.

Image Credit : whiskybase.com