After we had visited Mortlach distillery, fellow Malt Maniac Ulf Buxrud pulled out a magic bottle to celebrate his birthday with us: a 1942 Mortlach (war years)! What a generous gesture, thank you Ulf! You requested some notes, so here they come:
Mortlach 50 y.o. Gordon & MacPhail 1942 – 1993, 40%
Nose:
A great balance and this perfect old-style Sherry, sweet and lush with just the right amount of bitterness to counter, aaahhh. Lots of aromas pile up: fruit salad in sirup, loads of cherries, marzipan, honeycomb, sweet maltiness, black pepper, tires, gingerbread, chocolate, fruit jams (apricot and dark fruits), rare steak, even a hint of maracuja and almonds. That’s what I call complexity. There also is a mouldy note of a wet warehouse in the background. Altogether, close to a perfect nose, I must say.
Palate: Silky tannins, sulphur of the good kind and all that jazz from its nose. Nice! In addition, there are
Mortlach's funny odd set of stills
more bitter components of wet wood plank, espresso and dark chocolate now, which I like (but not everbody). Of course, this is a bit thin after all these years at a strength of 40% abv. So big sips are recommended to make up for that.
Finish: The bitter touch gives way for marzipan sweetness, honey, sherry-echoes, dark oak and chocolate at medium length.
Comment: Not only an educative dram – they don’t make ‚em like that anymore – but also utter joy. Just like Ulf, a great elder gentleman!
Score: 93-