Mortlach 12 Year "The Wee Witchie"

Nose: Roasted nuts, autumn leaves, oranges, ginger fudge, peanut oil, brown sugar, oak shavings and a zephyr of rye spice. Palate: Spicy/sweet arrival with ginger, white pepper and toasted fruitcake. Oak tannin in the development with dates, dried figs, cinnamon and orange marmalade. The texture is not thin but it is both oily and dry. There is a briny quality to this whisky but you won’t notice it at first. Finish: Medium/long. Spicy dark fruit and lemon rind. Green capsicum grilled with rock salt in the aftertaste. A good whisky that presents well on the nose but not quite as well on the palate ... until you add water and then the whole thing turns on its head. The nose loses a little of its punch with dilution but the palate immediately gains complexity and it gets better the longer you leave it to develop. The beast is alive and well in this dram but he is all fuss and noise to start with. He’s a thirsty fellow too so give him a good drink of water and he becomes much more mellow. The expert review here is ... well, I don’t know what the reviewer was drinking that day but it sure wasn’t this whisky. The community aggregate rating is, however, right on the money. Speaking of money, at the price this is fair value - not great, but fair. The independent Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 15 is better and very consistent, but also more expensive. Oh, and give your rye-loving friend who says they do not like scotch whisky a pour of this. It may just change their mind. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

It was the bottle and presentation that caught my attention. I hadn’t heard of this until a couple years ago, and I’m just getting around to it now. Mortlach malt seems to have been an integral part of Johnnie Walker blends, and it seems that more of their stock went into JW than their own bottlings. Now that their line has been revamped, let’s see what their juice can do, starting with the flagship “Wee Witchie.” Nose: Caramel, vanilla, malt, toffee, fudge, and brown sugar. Coconut. A S’mores note. Apple, pear, raisin, cranberry, and apricot (dried and otherwise.) Walnut and toasted almond. Agave. Croissant. Oak. Palate: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Orange citrus. Walnut, almond, and pecan. Toffee, malt, caramel, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Just a touch of cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Finish: Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Apple, pear, raisin, and apricot. Agave. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Medium length. 2.81 times distilled. 43.4% ABV. A 12-year old made to stand out with the name of “The Wee Witchie.” A cool looking bottle with broad shoulders. So many unique attributes. And yet, it’s an ordinary Speyside at the end of the day. Better put, it’s a fantastic representative of Speyside Scotch. It feels generic at times, but hits some unique notes at times and ultimately comes off as a bit funky—in a good way. Overall, it’s a damn good pour and a solid value at $55. A good start to my journey with Mortlach. I will definitely be back for more. 4/5.

I'm continuing to work through the bottles in my collection that I've yet to review. I've started using the Pantone color system, common in paint, because I was growing weary of using similar descriptors for most whiskies; Pantone affords a finer delineation between colors. This one is a clear version of Pantone 153 (a smidgen lighter than the Mortlach 16, which will be reviewed right after this. It's unclear if coloring is added. Sweet and subtly malty nose: strawberry-rhubarb pie, candied peanuts, and appropriately enough as we ease into Fall, pumpkin bread (I haven't had any since last Fall)--each of these a somewhat different manifestation of the sherry finishing. The palate begins with brown sugar; on the palate, there is a residual bacon note, some very gentle pepper, and a faint tannic bitterness on the long finish, which morphs into a dustiness. Overall, the impression is sweet, and a tad heavy, but a bit disjointed and lacking a "wow" factor. Nice to drink, but not a must-have. I bought this when I was buying more scotch whisky. It's a nice-to-have whisky if you've got a big enough collection and want a little arcana, but not something to seek out. 3.5 on the Distiller scale. 43.4% ABV. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Nose: peach, vanilla, light milk chocolate. Palate: immediately hits with a lunge of spices, ginger, pepper. To leave room for vanilla, peaches, still ginger which remains constant. And coffee. Final: short but very pleasant, with coffee. An excellent product, which has only that of being perhaps just a little overpriced. Rating 4.25 ____________________________________________________________ Naso: pesca, vaniglia, leggero cioccolato al latte. Palato: subito colpisce con un affondo di spezie, ginger, pepe. Per lasciare spazio a vaniglia, pesche, ancora ginger che rimane costante. E caffè. Finale: breve ma molto piacevole, al caffè. Un ottimo prodotto, che come difetto ha solo quello di essere forse solo un po’ sovra prezzato. Voto 4,25

A solid representation of a 12-year single malt. Would be a fantastic pour for someone that’s easing their way into scotch. Nose is very pleasant with notes of butter, vanilla and cereal. Also nice on the palate. Quite rich and oily. Very fruit-forward with apples, peaches and vanilla. Almost drinks like a glass of Chardonnay. Finish is decently long with some dessert notes, I kept going back to butter cookies. Overall, a solid pour but I kept wanting just a bit more out of it.

Even with chill filtering and (likely) added color, Diageo couldn't screw this one up. At least they gave us 43.4% abv. I have wanted to try Mortlach for a long time, but would not pay the premium for the super-duper, rare old, extra special previous bottlings. Leathery and earthy on the nose. Earthy fruit comes to the fore on the palate with a spicy envelope tying everything together. More exploration needed and will be savored. Deserving of all 88 points.