Mortlach 2002 HiSp

rather a quiet discreet conspecific - wonderfully complex and dense - looks older I like it very much

A good Mortlach, rather typical, despite a rather unpleasant part for my taste in the mouth.

N21 P20 F20 B20

Another very good Morlach, on the austere side. I like this kind of profile.

Green fruits, citric, lime, black tea, mineral, spicy, fleshy, balsamic, Ricola. Harmonious, good start, strong body, delicate, creamy, sweet, good intensity.

honey, fruity with a tobacco like smoky sweet cigar ash. starfruit and pineapple notes appear later or with more intense nosing. There is a syrupy pineapple apricot peach like amalgam for me in the body. Not a peppery finish, but a full mouth body like sensation.

Very balanced with a fruity complexity and some herbal notes - fantastic!

21 19 20 20 80

Nose. Very fresh pear Duchess and yellow apples. A calm and even fragrance. A wonderful taste that reveals odors, turning them into taste. Pleasant, sweet and long aftertaste. Great release!

23-22-23-22

From Whiskyfun.com Mortlach 17 yo 2002/2019 (55.5%, Hidden Spirits, cask #MR219) Five stars Let’s see what our friends in Ferrara, Italy have found this time. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s an ueber-clean Mortlach, without much wood in the way, if any, which is perfect to let us delve into the distillate, so to speak. So it is not clearly sulphury, not even sure it’s wee-witchy-y (private joke, almost), but there sure is a waxiness, bordering sunflower oil (proper sunflower oil, not the atrocious industrial ones that are sold for cheap at supermarkets), then apples and plums. Fresh and fat, shall we say. With water: rather superb, pure chalky malt on apples and waxes. Mouth (neat): I believe it is the fattest Speysider indeed, and we would rather locate it in the North to be honest. Chalk, citrons, wax, grapefruits, angelica, aspirin. You could believe this is some slightly lighter Springbank, which may actually come from the 2 ½ set-up as far as distillation is concerned. It’s all Byzantine anyway. Yeah, you’re right, and Benrinnes. With water: fruits coming out, beyond citrus, chalk and wax. Finish: long, perfect. Comments: aging whisky in concrete vats (or better yet, eggs) should be allowed. Get rid of wood! This little natural Mortlach will tell you why I said this! Okay, I may have pushed things a little too far, but the SWA or any other honourable body should definitely allow such experiments. Or why not amphoras? SGP:562 - 90 points.

Vanilla, herbs, citrus, mineral, green fruits, herbal tea, black tea, great complexity, unexpectedly floral for a mortlach, very good

Dry, grassy, with a touch of residual sweetness, but also minerality. Very good structure. The barrel was definitely refilled and in very good condition. A balanced and harmonious whisky that even seems older than 17 years.