Whisky: Mortlach, 2022 Special Release

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 57.8%

Cask: New Oak, Tawny Port, Red Muscat Wine Finish

Nose: Stewed berries, lacquered wood, grape jelly, dry champagne, spirited prickle, subtle flower shop, firewood rack.

Palate: Medium-bodied, stewed fruits, baking spice, hint of orange, spirited prickle, herbal, woody, mild bitterness and astringency.

Finish: Medium-length with subtle dried fruit, grape, and herbal tea.

Score: 4-5

Mental Image: The Wasted Woodsman

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was woody and fruity, with an occasional spirited prickle and hints of walking into a flower shop with potting soil and fresh-cut flower stems. An autumn rack stuffed with dried firewood waiting for the winter chill lingered throughout with stewed plums and dates, lacquered wood, purple drink, grape jelly, and dry champagne. Medium-bodied with a balanced mouthfeel, the flavor profile was fruity and spicy with a slightly bitter finish and mild-spirited prickle. Stewed plums, dates, and pears matched with a spice bag of anise, cinnamon, orange peel, and rose petal. Herbal, almost tea-like notes carried on with grape and various notions of wood: lacquered, freshly chopped, toasted, or even musty, slightly rotten oak. A mild bitterness came through at the end with a spirited prickle and astringency. The finish was medium-length with subtle dried fruit, grape, and herbal tea.

For an equivalent disappointment to this dram, look no further than Hannah Waddingham’s appearance in the Disney TV show “Willow.” The actress had a brief role as Hubert, the ax-wielding woodsman before she was promptly killed off without the character doing much more than providing an odd woodland vignette. I reckon Tom Bombadil played a more significant role in the plot of Lord of the Rings than Hubert in Willow. Okay, I am ranting off subject here, but this whisky had the same potential for greatness but seemed to squander it without accomplishing much.

The raw elements of this Mortlach were nice— there were some lovely fruits and plenty of intriguing herbal notes, which indicated a nice balance between wine cask and spirit. However, the flavors were not always well-integrated, with oak sometimes muscling everything else out of the way with a suboptimal bitterness. Additionally, the malt was a tad spirited and rough around the edges at times. Nothing fatal, perhaps, but an unfortunate series of demerits for a special release. I gave the dram a nice dilution to about 30% abv and found more potting soil on the nose with a hint of musty wet cardboard; on the palate, the mouthfeel was oilier with water, and the flavors more balanced without any spirited prickle.

Overall, not bad. You can see where the master blenders were going with this malt, and they were close to achieving something akin to the Cragganmore special release from 2016, which also lacked an age statement. Yet, the experience never came together, and for the 200 USD and up asking price, there are many more attractive options.