A K&L Exclusive Speyside 15 Year Old from a Legendary Distillery – Scotch Whisky News
A Sublime Rarity from a Beloved Speyside Standout
2007 Mortlach 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Hogshead Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Pre-Arrival) ($109.99)
“A fabulous, contemplative whisky and a thrilling contrast to the vibrant, fruity, mid-aged Highlanders we’re bringing in this year.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer
Fresh off their latest pilgrimage to the old country (i.e. Scotland), the spirits team is feeling inspired, and their latest haul is full of can’t-miss treasures that will have any Scotch collector beside themselves with joy. Today we’ve got a sublime, aged Speyside specimen from a distillery that we rarely see bottled as a single-malt and almost never see with this kind of age on it. The Mortlach 15 Year Old K&L Exclusive Cask from our friends at Old Particular is one for the thinkers and the patient drinkers among our Scotch fans. Mortlach’s well-earned reputation as one of the more brooding, dark-hearted malts out there is on full display in this bruiser. Spirits buyer Andrew Whiteley sums it up nicely when he observes, “You’ve got to want it, to take the time to coax it out.” Aeration, water, and a great deal of waiting bring out a spectacularly weighty and wide-ranging profile that pays full respects to the quintessential character of the Beast of Dufftown. It’s a stirring and serious dram that will require something of you, but the rewards are very much worth the effort, and then some.
K&L Notes: The Mortlach distillery is one of Scotland’s very best. Located in the heart of Speyside, this special distillery is very rarely found as a single malt. The little valley at the southern edge of Dufftown has been the location of a licensed distillery since 1823, but it was most likely the site of illicit distillation long before that. It was Dufftown’s first legal distillery after excise reform and would anchor the town as one of Scotland’s most important distilling communities. The spirit was prized from the very beginning and was purchased by John Walker & Sons exactly 100 years after its founding. It remains a core element in the entire Johnnie Walker line, but the distillery did not get a widespread single-malt expression until 2014, when two NAS expressions and two expensive, age-stated offerings were released. They’ve since retooled the distillery line, and it remains one of Diageo’s most well-regarded offerings despite recent price increases. This little cask represents a continuation of stocks that we’ve bought several times over the years starting in 2014, now with significantly more age. At 15 years, we’re starting to see the malt’s more mature characteristics take shape, which is particularly interesting without a huge amount of oak or sherry to obscure the character.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: October 13, 2021
It’s not often we get a ‘naked’ Mortlach. It smells dense, if that’s a thing. It’s a bit cliché to say Mortlach is brooding, but there it sits, just all packed tight into the glass. You’ve got to want it, to take the time to coax it out. It’s not a particularly meaty expression at first nosing, very unlike the recent Sovereign 10-year bottling we had in stock briefly. There is a bit of zesty citrus fruit on the nose buried under a layer of dew-soaked grass. It conjures an ocean breeze on a foggy morning when you add some water. The palate is very full and mouth-coating, almost a touch waxy. There is a stony, crushed rock component. Over time, richer flavors of cocoa and fatty pork belly begin to come through. The morning dew on the grass dries off into a much more complex bouquet of thyme, marjoram, and alfalfa. Just as you finish your glass, you are treated to more fresh fruit and vanilla, and a dollop of honey. You’ll have to go back for a second pour to unlock the rest of this dram.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: September 10, 2021
We’re getting pretty used to having young Mortlach in our selection. It seems like these refill hoggies are relatively available in the 8-10 year range. This is a bit of a different story, moving into a different age range, which seriously changes the complexity of this special malt. The color is pale straw. It’s definitely not a fruity one and starts pretty subtle. With some air and a few drops of water though, this big old malt starts to come to life. The darker malt character that comes out is slightly tamed by some bitter citrus peel, cacao, lightly roasted espresso beans, and some snappy saltiness. On the palate, it’s richly textured and somewhat savory although not fully into the bouillon side of Mortlach. This one needs time and air to really start giving everything it’s got on the nose, definitely one to avoid for the rushed drinker. Surprisingly, the palate is really open and complex, but the nose takes time to match. A fabulous, contemplative whisky and a thrilling contrast to the vibrant, fruity, mid-aged Highlanders we’re bringing in this year.
