Mortlach : 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Gordon & MacPhail

Tasting characteristics and notes for the Mortlach 15 Years Old Sherry Cask Gordon & MacPhail

Tasting

Appearance
Bright amber to golden hue. In the glass, its remarkable viscosity is revealed through slow-forming tears, a visual promise of a rich and deeply oily texture.

Nose
Deeply malty, it opens with fresh, herbaceous notes evoking a country grove. The sherry then expresses itself with great delicacy, releasing indulgent aromas of rich caramel, sweet liquorice and orange marmalade, all underscored by hints of candied black fruits and milk chocolate.

Palate
Generous, oily and enveloping, it delivers the absolute indulgence of a rich Black Forest gateau. Flavours of cherry jam and black fruits blend with the sweetness of vanilla, milk chocolate and freshly peeled orange, subtly enhanced by warm, sweet spices. The finish is long and rounded, marked by candied citrus, oak and lingering malt.

Pairings and tasting moments

Perfect at the end of a meal, this whisky shines alongside a dark chocolate and cherry dessert, a walnut tart or aged cheeses such as Comté or cheddar. Bold palates will enjoy it as a contrast to barbecue-glazed pork ribs. It is ideally savoured at room temperature, in a tulip or Glencairn-style glass, to concentrate all its complexity.

Mixology

Although this exceptional spirit is best enjoyed neat or with a single drop of water, its full-bodied, structured profile lends itself to premium tasting cocktails. It will elevate a Rob Roy or an Old Fashioned made with brown sugar and cocoa bitters.

Other characteristics

This single malt is unpeated and bottled at 46% ABV.

A full-bodied and indulgent Scottish single malt by Mortlach

Mortlach: The "Beast of Dufftown", a pillar of Scottish whisky

Founded in 1823 on the presumed site of a former illicit distillery in Dufftown, in the Speyside region, Mortlach is a historic and essential figure in Scottish whisky. Nicknamed the "Beast of Dufftown" for its dense, meaty and almost "umami" distillate, the distillery stands out for production equipment of rare complexity. It uses a system of six stills allowing a partial triple distillation (precisely 2.81 times), combined with traditional condensation in worm tubs that limits contact with copper. Remarkably, it was one of the few distilleries authorised to produce alcohol during the Second World War. Now owned by the Diageo group and led by Charlotte Bell, Mortlach upholds its heritage by offering robust single malts that are highly prized by connoisseurs.

The meticulous crafting of the 15 Years Old Sherry Cask Gordon & MacPhail

The 15 Years Old Sherry Cask Gordon & MacPhail is an exceptional single malt that perfectly illustrates the synergy between the distillery's robust distillate and the expertise of independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. Drawn from the prestigious "Distillery Labels" range, which pays tribute to historic labels and traditional maturation profiles, this whisky benefits from a full fifteen-year maturation in Sherry Casks.

The blend rests on a careful selection of first-fill and refill casks, with a predominance of the latter. This deliberate technical choice ensures that the intrinsic, meaty character of the distillate is not masked by an overpowering woody imprint, thereby avoiding the pitfall of the sugar-saturated "sherry bomb".

Since autumn 2020, this Scotch whisky has seen its alcohol content rise from 43% to 46% ABV, a major evolution that strengthens its oily texture and the intensity of its aromatic palette. Presented in an elegant gift box, this whisky offers a remarkably balanced compromise between the fruity indulgence brought by the sherry and the savoury power that has made its producer famous.