Scottish Whisky

Mortlach 16 Year (K&L Wine)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Mortlach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Distilled 1998
The Signatory Vintage Un-Chillfiltered Collection
$100
55.8% ABV
Website

What the Bottler Says
Can we keep the Mortlach momentum rolling? It seems that ever since we released that amazing sherry butt of Mortlach from Chieftain’s all those years ago, we’ve been riding a wave of Mortlach enthusiasm for the sherry-aged Speyside beast. Diageo even released their own single malt version (maybe we had something to do with that, eh?) We’re always on the lookout for more Mortlach, especially sherry-aged barrels, and it turns out that Signatory had a sherry-finished butt sitting in their Pitlochry location just there for the taking. The first sip is all you need to get excited: lots of gingerbread, cinnamon, holiday cookie goodness just explodes on the palate, with cakey, sherry flavor rounding out the back end. At full proof, it’s as much of a beast as ever. But the fact that this cask was simply finished in sherry, rather than aged in the sweet wine from day one, is a big benefit. The maltiness of the whisky is still there at the core and the finish still sings of whisky

What Richard Says
Nose: Spicy and fruity. Allspice, sage, cinnamon, vanilla, nectarines, and dried apricots.
Palate: Rich and mouth coating with a terrific sweetness. Cigar humidors, more dried apricots, cinnamon candies, high cacao dark chocolates, and a big smack of sherry.
Finish: A nice woodiness with hints of graphite and cinnamon. When everything else fades you’re left with dark chocolate cocoa powder.
Comments: This beasts needs the water. Even for those, like myself, that regularly indulge in the 52-58% cask strength dram this one needs a few splashes or it comes out too hot. Delicious, but too hot. You’ll only be tasting the first dram otherwise. Sadly, this barrel is all sold out. With Diageo releasing their own ridiculously overpriced proprietary bottlings of Mortlach I’m sure the glory days of independently bottled, heavily sherried Mortlach are nearly gone. But there may still be time. If you are a fan of sherry forward malts (Macallan, Aberlour, Glendronach, etc.) and you see something like this Mortlach at a reasonable price then grab one. They rarely disappoint.
Rating: Must Buy

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Big Peat Christmas 2011

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Big Peat Small Batch Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Christmas Edition 2011
53.4% ABV
$75

What the Blender Says
Big Peat is as grumpy as ever, regardless of his jovial Santa hat. Perhaps he didn’t like his signature yellow polo-neck being swapped for a red one? In 2011, Big Peat Christmas was bottled at 53.4% – natural cask strength – and his festive bottling has been bottled at cask strength ever since.

Nose: Opens a bit feistier, nose prickling and peppery at high strength plus the classic fresh, salty and clean Big Peat style. It then, as it warms, softens to malted barley dried over peat – with that same damp earthy character, anticipated from the “regular” bottling.

Palate: Considerably more mouthcoating at high strength, it still carries BP’s recognisable ashes, warm tar, sweet Japanese style seaweed, bandages, beaches and smoking chimneys.

Finish: Long and lingering, it replicates the palate with salty liquorice, smoke, damp bonfire ashes, chimney soot and more tarry, peaty and phenolic characteristics that just run and run. Full of what the French call “chauf couer” at high strength – detect even more of the damp ashes when cut with water.

What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet, bright, peat, medicinal, seaweed, earthy/ boggy, salty sea air, oily with a hint of smoked fish.
Palate: Peaty sweetness than POW – sharp peppery bite that blots out all but the peat.
Finish: Moderately long, peppery and drying .
Comments: I’m a fan of Islay whisky – Laphroaig being the first Scotch I really loved. The nose on this is amazing – almost everything I love about Islay whiskey (if it had a bit more smoke, might be perfect!), but the palate disappointed. After the initial peaty sweetness, the sharpness and pepper bite took over and really muted all but the peat. While not off putting, it was less satisfying than the nose by a fair amount.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says
Nose: Big and briny. A peat campfire with slow roasted sausages on the spit.
Palate: At first is comes over as creamy and almost delicate caramel sweet. Then POW! Big notes of wood ash, peat smoke, and smoked fish.
Finish: Salty with light white pepper and kiln dried wood.
Comments: Oh you want peat? This brings the peat. This is a massive smokey whisky. Yet it still balances well. A great cold weather dram when sitting by the fire or enjoying a robust cigar.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glenrothes 1985

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1985, Bottled in 2005
43% ABV
$120
Website

What the Distillery Says
Talk about bounce-backability. We first released the 1985 Vintage in 1997. It was popular then for its aromatic spicyness. Our master blender, John Ramsay, has now agreed that the last remaining drops of this Vintage be vatted and bottled for the latest version of this great Vintage. The memories of the previous bottling are present but the benefit of additional years has increased the complexity and perhaps delicacy of this deliciously oaky-honeyed dram. From an afternoon dram this has turned into an evening delight. A classic to accompany many puddings and thereafter.

Appearance: Golden, clear and bright.
Bouquet: Rich, fruity, raisins and sultanas
Palate: Soft, smooth, oak, vanilla and sultanas.
Finish: Good length, medium sweet finish.

What Richard Says
Nose: Fresh cut grass, orange peel, lemon zest, and malt.
Palate: Surprisingly rich and creamy given the 86 proof. There is a great interplay between a vanilla, raisin, and poached pear sweetness and an oak/pepper spiciness.
Finish: Long with heaps of malt, pepper spice, dark chocolate, and grassy notes.
Comments: This is a fine example of a 20ish year old Speysider. It drinks easy and is very enjoyable. It’s not really a stunner but a fine dram all the same. Buy a glass and you won’t be disappointed but a whole bottle might be hit or miss for some.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glenrothes 1998

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1998, Bottled in 2010
43% ABV
$80
Website

What the Distillery Says
The Vintage 1998 is the next Core Vintage to follow the Vintage 1991 and 1994. It is the first of the vintages that we have bottled that was expressly laid down at origin to be bottled as Glenrothes on maturity and as such has a greater availability of stock than any of the previous bottlings.

This is also Gordon Motion’s first bottling as Malt Master and he describes it as: “It’s said that pictures speak a thousand words and this is like Carmen Miranda’s hat in a bottle. Tropical fruits lead with pineapple and mango developing into sweet bananas, coconut and classic Glenrothes vanilla pods.”

Appearance: Medium golden, clear and bright
Bouquet: Rich, spicy vanilla, golden syrup and lemongrass
Palate: Soft, mature, sweet vanilla with a hint of cinnamon
Finish: Smooth, long, rich vanilla

What Richard Says
Nose: The nose mixes sherry, citrus pith, malted cereals, and ginger syrup.
Palate: Vanilla and cinnamon forward with notes of vanilla pudding, cinnamon rolls, Bananas Foster, and yellow cake batter.
Finish: Dry, almost arid.
Comments: What a great dessert scotch. Not with dessert but rather for dessert. There are so many layers of sweetness here. Unfortunately, that makes this vintage a bit of a one trick pony. Not bad at all but it lacks depth.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glenrothes Select Reserve

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV
$45
Website

What the Distillery Says
John Ramsay, our Malt Master, has crafted a selection of The Glenrothes which typifies the distillery house character – ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice.

The Select Reserve is a first for us. A non-Vintage-specific selection carefully chosen by John and produced to the same high quality standards as The Glenrothes Vintage selections; only here we select and vat from casks from different years.

Appearance: Pale golden
Bouquet: American oak, vanilla and coconut, hint of plums/p>
Palate: Full malty flavour, medium sweet, vanilla and orange zest
Finish: Long and slightly spicy

Produced to the same exacting quality standards as the Vintages, Select Reserve is a vatting of casks distilled in different years.

It has been crafted to typify all that is The Glenrothes in its early prime. What we call the ‘House Style’. Laden with ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice, the Select Reserve is the essence, the very heart of The Glenrothes range in terms of taste and flavour. From this expression all other Vintages are born.

What Richard Says
Nose: Light vanilla and malty oak.
Palate: A lovely, silky sweetness of orange blossom honey and dried fruit.
Finish: Lingering with doses of black pepper and more malty oak.
Comments: This introduction to Glenrothes in their “house style” focuses around cereal grains and vanilla/fruit sweetness. Not a game changer by any means but it’s pleasant, easy to drink and won’t break the bank. If you want to mix up your malt rotation then give it a try.
Rating: Stands Out

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