Mortlach 30 Year (1993), SMWS 76.154 "Shore reflections"
Whisky: Mortlach 30 Year (1993), SMWS 76.154 "Shore reflections"
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 52.7%
Cask: Refill Sherry Hogshead
Age: 30 Years (Distilled 16 Nov. 1993)
Nose: Fruit, wood, melon, jammy fruits, lacquered wood, bread and buttery pastry, hints of new rubber.
Palate: Medium-bodied, syrupy, musty, honey, herbal, white flower, charred wood, yeasty, bread, fermented funk.
Finish: Long with some yeasty, herbal funk, charred wood, and subtle honey sweetness.
Score: 7 (84)
Mental Image: Bakery After Hours
Narrative & Notes: Chopped fruits on a wooden cutting board: melon, guava, and apricots with small pots of sour cherries and jammy fruits. Lacquered wood lingered throughout with malty pastries and bread: pandesal, butter rolls, Punaluʻu sweet rolls— the real Hawaiian sweet rolls. Salty and buttery notions continued with lilikoi curd and subtle rubber or plastic, like a new pair of slippers. Medium-bodied and syrupy, the flavor profile was musty and sweet with plenty of honey and citrus delivering more subtle white flowers and dried herbs. Hints of charred wood and aburri salmon provided toasted sugars and fats. Yeasty toward the end, breadier notions returned to the palate with a fermented and slightly funky quality— were we making bread or home brewing beer? The finish was long with some yeasty, herbal funk, charred wood, and subtle honey sweetness.
This was lovely with a rich, inviting aroma and varied, but well-balanced flavor profile. The flavors were well-structured and largely complementary, as the old sherry cask provided a bit of emphasis for some of the fruitier qualities and a bit of rubbery depth. The palate lost a bit of the distinctiveness of the aroma, but the finish was pleasantly long.
This was the only bottle in the “Homecoming” Creator’s Collection from SMWS with a full-term maturation in a sherry cask; the others had finishes of various length. Yet it was perhaps the least cask dominant of the set as the sherry cask was clearly quite tired— perfect for a long and gentle maturation. Oddly, this was the whisky that I felt less enthusiastic about when I returned to it after our local whisky club tasting. In isolation, the flavors were never quite as captivating or crystal clear— the simplicity of the palate was wonderful during the tasting, but came up short in isolation.
Overall, a wonderful whisky, but for the price I want a bit more.
