Scotland, 43.4%
This 16-year-old Speyside single malt comes from the new Mortlach range, launched in 2018. Known as ‘the Beast of Dufftown’, Mortlach is distilled 2.81 times in a complicated process referred to simply as ‘The Way’. This single malt, dubbed the ‘Distiller’s Dram’, is matured in a mixture of refill and first-fill American and European oak sherry casks.
Rich and thick, with brown sugar syrup stirred into a bowl of dried raisins and apples. The sticky sweetness is tempered and balanced by gentle barrel char and sharp orchard fruit – unripe apples and crunchy pears. Dark oloroso notes build – sweet and savoury dried fruit – and dark chocolate sauce pools underneath. Hints of menthol and clove hide at the back.
Nose: Gingersnaps and orange peel, with hints of roast chestnut, apple and blackcurrant pie and quince.
Palate: Mature oak from the outset, joined by prune, clove, macadamia nut and a slight touch of baked earth.
Finish: Lingering oily walnut and chewy raisin notes. More ginger appears later on.
