Mortlach 15 Year (Game of Thrones Six Kingdoms)

I’ve never tried anything from Mortlach before but thankfully I can cross them off the list now that @ContemplativeFox was generous enough to provide a sample of this GoT gimmick that was aged for 15 years matured in a combination of first-fill oloroso sherry and ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46%. The nose starts with a smoky banana leaf wrapped Hawaiian Kalua pork dish with cooked pineapples then comes some light sherry sulfur along with dark chocolate covered figs and stewed cinnamon apples with a light smoke and minerality hovering in the background followed with candied ginger, barrel spices, leather and polished oak with a medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting sweet with caramel covered baked apples, Hawaiian sweet rolls and charred pineapple before descending into the meaty smoky banana leaf wrapped Hawaiian Kalua pork dish followed by a light sherry sulfur along with dark chocolate covered figs that builds into a mild spice that quickly fades to candied ginger, barrel spices, leather and polished oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charcoal ambers, Hawaiian sweet rolls, stewed cinnamon caramel covered apples, dark chocolate covered figs, a light sulfur, ginger, leather and polished oak. When I first opened the sample, it smelt similar to a mezcal with bowling alley smoke or shopping the tire section at Walmart, but after 20 minutes resting in the glencairn, it opened up to a Hawaiian barbecue feast with fruits, light sherry influence, minerality and well balanced oak that continues on the palate with a surprise of Hawaiian sweet rolls to add to the notes from the nose that transitions harmoniously from one note to the next with a mild spice and finishes medium length without the meat, but the sweet bread, fruits, light sherry and oak remain to help wrap up this delicious liquid Hawaiian Luau. This was a real treat and I’ve heard that these can be found for a significant price reduction from their original retail price of $150. If you happen to find one of these under $100, grab one or two, as I’m on the lookout now to add one to my collection.

Ok, it has been a while now since Diageo's Game Of Thrones releases hit the market with lots of bad reviews with some honorable exceptions. Having said that, i remember how expensive some of the expressions were, and this Mortlach 15yo Six Kingdoms was one of those. Don't get me wrong, i haven't had too many Mortlachs in the past, and somehow i thought this one was going to be very good since the price they were asking for it, seemed to be linked to some quality of the "juice" in comparison to other GOT bottlings. Well, i am glad i waited, and just bought a cheap sample of it, since this whisky was another dud from that collection. They are not bad, but most of them aren't good either, and you can say that only Talisker and Lagavulin were good enough. (Then again, it is hard for Lagavulin and Talisker to make bad single malts). This Mortlach 15yo Game Of Thrones was bottled at 46%abv, with a golden color. On the nose, it is very similar to a Cardhu. Yellow apples, honey, hay. Fruity and floral. So floral it feels like polen; Definitively itchy on the nose. It is itchy, not spicy. Red berries. Aroma has changed into grapefruit. Very fresh and fruity. Its like an apple infused tea. On the palate, it gave me bitter tobacco and grass. It is too similar to a Cardhu. Old apples, some honey. After a first sip, it gave me pepper, salt and dried grass. A third sip was like a honeyed cough syrup, which actually is something appealing. Aftertaste starts with a very little smoke note, almost ghostly; salt and dry grass. Mostly salty. Medium long, hints of sider. Old apples. Bitter tobacco. Overall, to describe it properly, It has the saltiness of an Oban, with some of the Speyside fruitiness and tobacco/grassy notes from Cardhu. I told you i haven't had too many Mortlachs, and i am starting to think that Diageo has a profile that they seek in their distilleries. I can see this malt blending in a good way with other peaty malts to make a Johnnie Walker. Not impressed, not depressed; it is just a normal, boring dram, my score for it is 78 over 100.

Tasted at Blair Athol Distillery Whisky Bar, 25 April 2024 Nose: A big, expansive nose that showcases caramel, malt, dried fruits, woody aromas and hints of baking spices. It’s like fruitcake, but not as aromatic as Christmas cake. Adding water makes it softer and quite plush, less intense but still full and satisfying. There is a puff of ashen smoke in the background. Palate: The arrival is balanced between sweet fruits and spices and it has good body that you immediately notice. Malty notes come forward on the mid-palate along with clove, cinnamon and allspice but these are soft and warm, not spiky. With water the palate, like the nose, becomes considerably sweeter with caramel, dried dates, strawberries and toffee dominating. It has that elusive meaty depth of all Mortlach whiskies. Finish: Medium/Long. The late palate spices segue into to lingering chocolate-covered toffee sweetness. Water shortens the finish but does not otherwise change or spoil it. I swore that I’d never engage with the Diageo GoT franchise tie-in whiskies, it being such a blatant marketing exercise. I had the feeling at the time that even Diageo were a bit blasé about the whole thing, given that some of the series releases were nothing more than core-range expressions in special labels. Eventually, I did try a taste of the vile Johnnie Walker “White Walker” blend at a pop-up stall and that was enough to confirm my suspicions so I avoided the rest of the series. However after the initial eight expressions Diageo released this final ninth installment, which received widespread approval. In summary it is a very agreeable whisky and probably the pinnacle of the franchise tie-ins. You can still find this in some stores and via online sellers, but it will be overpriced and poor value. Buy the Gordon and Macphail Mortlach 15 year old Official Label bottling instead. It will be half the price, easier to find and a better whisky all round. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Rating: 16/23 N: Spicy, a sort of dry oloroso waxy lemon tartness, some faint funky malt that's a little dirty like it's still young. This isn't a super complex or enjoyable nose. P: Quite spicy. Pepper with cinnamon and some clove. There's a sweeter maltiness with some red fruit mixed with grassiness, a hint of waxy lemon, and a some rich nuttiness in the buckwheat range that eventually develops. Perhaps a faint faint farmyard funk comes out of the grass but I'm really reaching here. There's a bit of a bitter smokiness and perhaps just a hint of mildewed wood. It makes me think of Glen Grant 26 (Carn Mor independent bottling) because of the spiciness over an otherwise fairly round layer, but I find the Glen Grant to be much fuller with some better developed and balanced character, more fruit, and more complexity. The Glen Grant just tastes more mellow and mature. F: Faint waxy lemon with hints of buckwheat nuttiness at points. That smoky bitterness hangs lightly until the conclusion. - Conclusion - This is a good $70 whisky, but it isn't worth anywhere near $150. It's very enjoyable, but there's not a ton of complexity or hedonism here. I currently have the Glen Grant at a 17, which seems about fair. I'd been thinking that this was in the 15 to 17 range, but not quite as good as the Glen Grant, so I'm going with a 16 here. For another point of comparison, I poured a few milliliters of Tullibardine 25 (Cadenhead's independent bottling) and found that the Tullibardine was more complex, mellow, and rich, with a nice long-lasting finish. It was without doubt the best of the three. This is very close to Glen Grant 18, which I'm thinking is a 16 (with a chance of moving up to a 17). Loch Lomond 12 is also competitive with this. Resilient 15 is substantially better, so I don't think that this can hit 18. Still, a 17 seems plausible. In the end though, I'm going with a 16.

At first sip this seemed fairly mellow but it's got some real bite and sharp edges. The nose is rich sherry, some salt, and some hints of the characteristic Mortlach sulfur. The taste is an interesting beast, it's deep sherry but there are some really interesting, but also characteristically Mortlach elements. This whiskey is briney and there are caramel/toffee notes. I also get cocoa. I also get some dates, which I associate with the classic Mortlach spirit. The Mortlach sulfur is in there as well. The brine is quite salty, but there is a smokiness such that reminds me a bit of smoking a cigar. There are also peppery elements as well. I also get an herbal, planty, fresh green wood flavor that I was not expecting. These flavors are not subtle, but they also come and go - it's like rocks under turbulent sea water, as the waves crash, certain flavors splash up for a time, reside but come back. This is really an interesting, robust, but complicated whiskey. It has a rich, long finish as well. It stands on it's own beyond the marketing gimmick. But it also has a mysterious character that seems fitting to the Three Eyed Raven. It's not a beginner whiskey, but it's a whiskey that could be accessible enough for a beginner to enjoy, particularly someone who had experienced a few of the other GoT branded whiskeys who determined that they actually liked scotch. It's definitely one of the standouts in the collection.

The Game of Thrones gimmick did at the very least provide us with a new age-stated Lagavulin. It it’s all that different the already-existing 8-year, but it was definitely the highlight of the series. Until Diageo rolled out this bonus Morthlach expression. We got another release with a solid age statement, so I’m grateful for the gimmick—this time. Nose: Apricot, pear, apple. Golden raisin. Toffee, malt, and vanilla. Butterscotch and honey. Sugar cookie. Almond and walnut. Coconut. Oak. Clove, nutmeg, white pepper. Palate: More of the same. Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. White grape. Date and fig. Plum. Caramel, toffee, malt, and vanilla. Floral. Heavy on the cinnamon and oak. Orange citrus. Milk chocolate. Walnut and almond. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Sugar cookie, almond, and walnut. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. Solid whisky. No gimmick here. This and the Lag are the best things to come out of this lineup. I’d say this is of similar quality to the standard 16 Year. First-fill sherry casks are always appreciated, and the bourbon barrel finish adds a nice touch. At $126, this is a good bit pricier than the 16. No benefit is given based on exclusivity or marketing—this has to stand on its own as a whisky. And it does. Not a super value, but a reasonable one. I have this clocked at a 4.25/5, which is equal to my score for the 16. Good work from Mortlach.