Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 30 Year Old 1988

A little background

Morthlach aka The Beast of Dufftown. Because it is a beast! No other reason, besides the fact that it is a beast. If your favorite dram is a 42%, you will probably die from the first sip. But if/when you survive, then you’ll be opened up to a ‘whole new world’! Most Mortlachs single malts are sherry casks influence, but this is pure good ol’ American hogshead. Hogshead is basically a bunch of disassembled bourbon barrels, taken to Scotland and reassembled to make a bigger barrel. Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 30 Year Old 1988 was bottled at 48.8% ABV and very limited with only 129 bottles being released.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Gold

Nose

Intense, mineral, metallic and slightly oily in smell. Well balanced tannin but clear that it is a bourbon cask. Brown sugar, caramel, ginger, and a floral hint. Upon further nosing, a savory herbal smell comes through – rosemary. Heavy and intense nose.

With water: the intensity is mellowed. A sickly sweet baby wipes type of smell, metal subsides, floral notes come through. Honey is also there. Incense starts to waft through the nose – like an asian temple, That light waft of perfume smoke. Menthol is present.

Palate

Sweetness and mineral, stones by a riverbank with wet stones. Tannin is not heavy but present and cannot be missed. Spicy, toffee, fudge and buttery texture. The finish is long and lingering, complete and just soaks through your face! Chewy mouthfeel. Flavours are intense but not super complex.

With water: This is like a candy shop – toffee, fudge, butter, brown sugar, sugar. You get a citrus oil and peel, menthol is prevalent and the menthol really warms the throat. Spice comes through a lot more. It becomes heavier with water and more oak comes through.

Finish

The finish coats the mouth and is long and involved. 

In closing

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 30 Year Old 1988 is not for the faint hearted and is not a session whisky. This whisky is hard and intense but pleasurable and an experience. The spirit is aged well, as in, you cannot taste any spirit that is not involved with intense flavour