K&L Exclusive: A 24-Year-Old Scotch Rarity from a Revered Distillery – Scotch Whisky News
In-Stock Rarity for Collectors: A Monumental, Sherry-Aged Stunner
1997 Mortlach 24 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($279.99)
“This exquisite single sherry butt is honestly the quintessential Mortlach in so many ways … [it] might be this year’s very best cask in terms of objective quality.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer
The hits keep coming from our Exclusive Cask program, and today’s offer might be the biggest of them all. One of our most consistently reliable independent bottlers, Hart Brothers has brought us yet another unbelievably rare and astounding single cask from the inimitable Mortlach. We’ve managed to get our hands on nothing less than a 24-year-old, sherry-aged cask that perfectly demonstrates the heart and soul of this singular distillery with a finely integrated sherry influence that only serves to enhance the already dizzying array of complexities in this one-of-a-kind dram. Even at this price point, this stupendous cask remains a relative steal—spirits buyer David Othenin-Girard calls it “An absolutely stunning whisky that I’d honestly feel comfortable selling for many hundreds of dollars more than we have priced it.” Mortlach at this age doesn’t come around very often, so collectors everywhere should take serious interest in one of the most compelling casks we’ve offered in a long time. As David perfectly sums it up, “there’s simply nothing comparable on the market at anywhere close to this price … I doubt we’ll ever see another one quite like this.”
K&L Notes: There isn’t much that needs to be said about this. Mortlach, meet sherry. Sherry, Mortlach. Two and a half decades later the marriage is still a perfect one. What’s the secret? Listening and mutual respect or raw unbridled attraction? Probably both. There may be no right answer, but no one questions that these two belong together. The Mortlach distillery, known locally as the “Beast of Dufftown,” is one of those great distilleries that has never been given proper attention by its owners. The distillery has quietly been a key component in the great Scotch blends since 1823, yet few outside the single malt aficionados appreciate its prowess. Yes, the new owners have recently re-released a line of well-regarded distillery bottlings, but their availability is intermittent, and the exceptional pricing the original offered seems to have evaporated. It’s been a much more successful effort to transition the brand into a proper single malt property, yet this excellent property remains in the shadows of its “classic malt” brethren. The beast, brooding down in the gully, was waiting to be unleashed. Now it finally has been! This is a big-boy butt from the biggest of Speyside’s blue chips. Robust, full of character, and bottled no-holds-barred at full cask strength, it’s incredible we’re still able to get things like this out of Scotland, and while it will be hard to argue with anyone that this one is “affordable,” for what it is the price is really quite shocking.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: May 18, 2022
Mortlach deserves to be thought of as one of Scotland’s very finest blue chip distilleries that command extreme respect for their quality and reputation. But thanks to the indifference of the owners to its prowess, Mortlach has remained altogether in the shadows. While connoisseurs and the cognoscenti often refer to it in reverent language, the everyday drinker does not necessarily distinguish a Mortlach from a Loch Lomond or Mannochmore—just another goofy Scottish name. And while the other great Dufftown distillers have become global sensations, Mortlach’s recent attempt to bottle their own whisky has been met with a collective yawn. Not because they’re lacking in quality, but because the owners’ pricing and branding strategy has left little room to wonder. But the relative obscurity affords the likes of yours truly some serious opportunity, and while there is no doubt that this whisky commands a premium for blenders and bottlers, it still punches way above its weight. This exquisite single sherry butt is honestly the quintessential Mortlach in so many ways. It captures the power and grace of the Beast of Dufftown without relying exclusively on the sherry card. Instead, it’s a more nuanced and subtle offering, one that might be this year’s very best cask in terms of objective quality.
Subjectively, it’s exactly what I love to drink and something that feels very rarefied indeed, a sort of antique style that is very hard to ferret out. Shall we? The color is an attractive, deep copper. Immediately enveloping and offering a deep array of savory and fruit aromas—sandalwood, incense, dried apricot, Seville orange peel, bone broth, canned peach, sorrel leaf, mint, antique wood, and varnish. This one needs no water to open, only several minutes in the glass to come alive. On the palate, big and juicy stone fruit, more orange, a creamy texture, and building oak spice followed by toasted vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted malt, hints of peppermint, and clove oil. The spice and savory side tends to win in the end, but the fruit stands strong. With a few tiny drops of water, this becomes way too easy to drink, adding tons of chocolate and rich, raisiny fruit. If you like it big and spicy, don’t touch it. If you want your glass to disappear almost immediately, three or four drops max. An absolutely stunning whisky that I’d honestly feel comfortable selling for many hundreds of dollars more than we have priced it. Of course, people will look at it compared to some other DI whiskies and think Wow, fancy price, but there’s simply nothing comparable on the market at anywhere close to this price. The last independently bottled, older Mortlach we saw was 18 years old, not sherried, and nearly the same price, so I guarantee we’ll be looking back at this one and saying, “Wow, we had it so good once upon a time.” While this might not be as intense or tannic as the Clynelish Signatory black label we did a couple of years ago, I’d put this right up there with that whisky in terms of how special it is. I doubt we’ll ever seen another one quite like this.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: May 19, 2022
It’s a funny thing that the owners of Mortlach don’t include this, the most classic of whiskies, in the “classic malts” range they bottle. This cask is old school and glorious, balanced and robust, graceful and strong. Not a bomb, but a first-fill sherry butt in perfect harmony with the spirit nonetheless. It’s a very comfortable 49.7% ABV and a beautiful rose gold mixed with honey in the glass. The nose is exquisite. Dripping with ripe stone fruit, apples, and orange peel, it feels like it’s flowing out of the glass before it even hits your lips. A complex mix of heavier scents are present, but in a lighter quantity than you’d expect, making the whisky feel young and vibrant despite nearly 25 years in cask. Hints of leather, varnish, cigar paper, and wood. Spices abound—cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, all beautifully present and playing their parts in a well-conducted orchestra. When you do finally get around to tasting it, your palate will experience ecstasy. It will crescendo into a full and round, rolling blast of flavor. The sweet spice melds with the savory wood and ripe fruit into a gooey mix of raw cocoa powder, sweet milk chocolate, candied almonds, toasted walnuts, fresh muddled mint, and fruit preserves. Its body is full, but never heavy—the Beast mellowed over the years into something sophisticated, dignified, proud, large yet precise, and exacting, like a lifelong mechanic’s hands in old age, worn of hard edges, but possessing strength and years of knowledge to be used in effortless control to great effect. The finish is sweet and easy. Inviting, comforting. It’s like an old friend, you could easily find yourself looking up late in the night and realizing you’ve been talking for hours. If you’re a lover of Scotch and balance, this cask is for you. It is well worth the price of admission. One of those whiskies that I would argue is a tremendous value despite not being cheap. It delivers so much more than what it costs when compared to its price-point peers.
