Mortlach Rare Old

Bargain

Ah, the "premiumisation" ... 80 euros the bottle of 50 cl, ie more than 100 euros the bottle of 70 cl of this new high-end whisky as you want Diageo. Yet it is a very average whisky, but has potential, which is even more frustrating. We wait for something to happen, but it's flat. The bottle, the price, the "43.4%", the "rare old": everything is illusory Because it is written "rare" and "old", it should be "expensive" It's a joke. This mortlach is neither more nor less than a decent entry of range which should not exceed 35 €.

Note by Serge Valentin from whiskyfun.com: Mortlach 'Rare Old' (43.4%, OB, 50cl, 2014) An NAS vatting of various kinds of casks. Funnily enough, the Rare Old is the least rare and the least old of the bunch. Colour: full gold. Nose: it is a very malty one at first nosing, with floral tones as well, but it’s not void of any mineral/oily notes. There’s this earthiness that’s rather typical, also notes of, say a box of old coins that you brought back from many countries, then a little butter and sunflower oil, perhaps. And vanilla. It’s not a very ‘greasy’ one but it’s no light malt either. A bit of fresh oak. Mouth: starts a little brutal and rough, which comes unexpected. Quite some oak spices, especially cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg, before it becomes more chocolaty and slightly leathery. Some caramel as well, vanilla, raisins and honey, with always a spicy side, joined by wee touches of horseradish at some point. Finish: of medium length, always with these oak spices as well as caramel, honey and malt. Comments: I had thought this baby would be smoother and more polished, it’s actually a rather robust and spicy dram. SGP:451 - 82 points.

This was a gift off my wife, yes it's in a fancy bottle and yes it's in a rip off 50cl and yes it's over priced, would I buy it? Probably not, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.

Mortlach Rare Old. Consumed Nov 2018. Interesting fruity aroma - pineapple, vanilla, some mango maybe. Taste is lightly smoky and charred, burnt paper, woody, spicy, seared pineapple. Nice enough taste on the whole. Tastes better than it smells. Above average for a spirit because it has a nice smoke to it, but not something I'd come back to and it's on the lower end of my score spectrum for a whisky.

Nose -  Sweet, floral, toffee, biscuit, some oak wood with spice in the background also walnuts, raisins, dark chocolate, leather and Christmas cake appearing. Taste - strong on the mouth, sweet rich, dunnage warehouse, ginger, light sherry, pepper, thick chewy wood towards to end. Finish - Long lasting finish which comes back and forth, contains burst of pepper followed by oak water and some light sweetness. Overall - I did enjoy this, it's different from anything I've had before. I'm not a fan of NAS but having tried this, I can't deny it's not good. If I had to choose a distillery tasting it blind, I would have said Glendronach. Their is some aged whisky in here, no doubt about it.

For the luxurious price they are asking for the 500ml bottle it is surpassingly plain and simple. It is not as sophisticated as I expected from this super premium Diageo brand. There is nothing rare and old about it. I have to say that I prefer the independent expressions over this one. In my opinion serious alarm bells should be ringing at Diageo when independent bottlers are able to sell better quality whisky (at a lower price, mind you!) than the distillery self. All in all nothing offensive but quite underwhelming.

At the end of the day it's all down to taste and I quite enjoyed this, it's not fantastic by any stretch but I don't think it deserves all the flack it gets.

The ‘Science of whisky’ masterclass [TWE Show Oct ’15] saw Ian Buxton and Professor Paul Hughes explore how whisky is made, how differences between distilleries affect the spirit and the science behind those changes. Focusing on entry level whisky from Dalwhinnie WB, Mortlach WB and Royal Lochnagar WB, we had a rare chance to try the distillate, a young/maturing malt and the final product to be packaged and sold as NAS whiskies, for Dalwhinnie and Mortlach at least. First up was Dalwhinnie and ‘Winter’s Gold’. Mortlach new make spirit [abv unknown] N: Yeasty and hammy [processed sausage notes] with plenty of Bovril [esp with water], Heinz sandwich spread with much less beer notes than the Dalwhinnie new make. T: Dry with a harshness and a dominant meatiness - which is ‘a breakdown product of sulphur’ [Paul Hughes] F: Mild fade C: Most interest is on the nose at this point. Mortlach 4-5yo [abv unknown] [None of the distilleries were forthcoming with the ages of their intermediate whiskies]. N: Less meaty than the new-make with a marked creaminess. The processed sausages from the nose survive with the addition of oysters and vegetal candied notes. T: Neutral, bold and sustaining. There are indications that some bitter, sugary, dark-red, fruit-syrups are starting to form and establish. F: Slower fade given the boldness. Consistent and neutral and awaiting cask info C: So much promise here, especially with water. Indications are it could be stellar with the right cask[s]. Like with the Dalwhinnie trio, [in heinsight] this intermediate malt is arguably better than the finished product. Scores a C Mortlach ‘Rare Old’ 43.4% N: The extra maturation time is clearer and the nose generally softer, whilst maintaining its intensity. Soft vanillas with the grain notes are intact. Theres balance here with some sugary lemons developing but an innocuous cardboard character forms that was not present with the younger whisky. T: Enjoyable twists and turns from a rounded profile. F: Nice cask action showing more rounded whisky traits. C: Nice one this, the best of the three - but generally its a bog standard dram that loses much of its potential shown in its early years. Why don’t they do away with the 'Old & Rare' flannel words and replace with 'Young & Plentiful'? Scores a C- Further reading: WF82 WM80[5]

The nose is dominated by a valerian-like scent ... On the palate, the valerian disappears, and you can taste peppery caramel flavors ... Departure is rather short, but pleasant sweet woody ... Not bad ... but had somehow expected more ...

That’s so Mototruck — the meatiness is nice

N- Malty sweet, stiff oily wood fragrant. Nutty, grapefruits with sour citrus. P- Nutty, oily, salted almond and somehow perfume-y. Quite heavy on body with excessive of restrain salt and sweet interplay, feel sort of cloying overtimes. F- Medium length, dried fruits with thin layer of new leather, new wood arise with thin substance. — at The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur.

My first taste of Mortlach. Initially I notice green plants/grass, then tropical fruit, oak (European oak is distinguishable), vanilla, mint and faint perfume, I don't find any smoke or peat. On the taste more tropical fruit, sweeter. The finish is definitely tannic/astringent, I presume because of the European oak. Certainly not bad, but apparantly overpriced.

Nice and balanced nose with notes of sherry, herbs, fruits, floral elements and spices (cinnamon, cloves). The palate follows the same path, quite tasty, but is a bit thin. Could use a higher strength. The finish is short.

A surprising character. The tastes and smells are well integrated and play off of each other well.

it is a solid malt not no less a dram if you do not want to think much

Brute Early May I was invited to the Mortlach Benelux Release Dinner in Brussels where I, along with about 40 other invitees, were introduced to the new range under the skillful guidance of the lovely Georgie Bell. Six weeks later a box was delivered containing samples of the tried expressions so I could re-taste them in the serenity of my whisky basement. Time to try the Rare Old, 18 Year Old and 25 Year Old again, starting with the Rare Old. If I understood Georgie correctly, three types of spirit were used (delicate, medium and meaty) as well as different types of wood: first fill American and European oak as well as refill and rejuvenated casks. The first time I put my nose in the glass I get mostly sweet malt with loads of floral elements. Think grain cookies, sultanas and a hint of sniffing tobacco. Some earthy notes which are quite common in Mortlach. Light butter. Some bergamot oil and vanilla. Lastly some oak. Pleasant enough nose. The kick to the teeth upon arrival is quite suprising. Plenty of spices: pepper, cinnamon and some ginger. The sweetness comes from honey and sultanas, but also some orange peel. Touch of leather. Turns a bit dry. The vanilla evolves towards caramel. After the pleasant nose, I had expected a bit more to be honest. The finish is medium long on spices from the wood with some sweet caramel at the death. A bit of a brute, this Rare Old. You have to like this type of malt, I guess. I do, which makes it worth my while. But once you realize a 50cl bottle will set you back about 70 EUR, you do raise your eyebrows for a moment.

You mix 6 year old, 8 year old and 9 year old spirits together, all mostly from bourbon casks, fill it into a beautiful bottle and give it a classy name such as "Rare Old". Make no mistake: This is a "cheap" dram in every possible way and very, very average quality. Way too expensive for what you get.

Ordinary Mortlach, as was to be expected, and he also tastes quite "old". Does this justify ~ 60 € for 0,5l? I am undecided. Would be the same taste 'ne 18 on it, the price would probably be' normal '. I say, borderline, but not outrageous.

Quite grassy on the nose with rhubarb, pears and malt. Strawberry jam and cinnamon on the palate Short finish with sweet spices Perfectly drinkable, but this bottling was wildly overpriced.

Now, over half a decade after it's ill-starred release featuring a 50cl bottle shaped to look like a 70cl, no age statement, and a price more aligned with 2020 than 2014, I think I can take a more neutral perspective toward the liquid itself. This is a curious whisky, in that the grassy and unimpressive nose and the swift finish aren't at all matched by the pleasant if a bit underwhelming palate. I tasted this with a full compliment of Mortlachs ( OBs Rare Old, 12, 14, 15 GoT, 16, 18, 20, and the 2019 G&M 25), and if there is something to be said for the whole OB line, the 43,4% bottling strength is too low because it kills the finishes.

No. I regret to try.

Too sweet

not good, not bad