Mortlach 12-year-old

Inconsequential and boring

My experience is from 2 bottles, the last one was bought in 2018. Not one from more recent. Sometimes you have a Whisky that convinces you with its taste. Mortlach is such a Whisky for me. The first time I tasted it was with a test bottle from a set of 6. The taste immediately stood out as soft (no pepper), honey, vanilla, slightly syrupy with a nutty flavor which together has a very pleasant taste profile for me. I still think this Whisky is a top one. I discovered that the taste profile suits me very well by using worm tubs. Unfortunately, the owner of the Whisky has had the idea to increase the prices considerably in the meantime, so that I can only find it for a reasonable price in advertising / online compared to the competition. I hope that the prices will become more reasonable again, because it is a Whisky of which a color has certainly been added and possibly also filtered. That does not mean that I will not definitely look again when the bottle is finished, but I also want to try the 16 year old which is very expensive. For that price you already have toppers on CS with a much better price-quality ratio. All in all a top whisky but only that price... that is difficult(er) to justify..

The Wee Witchie is a decent single malt. Its flavor profile oscillates between woody spice and fruity sweetness. There's also a slight spiciness and some dirty, earthy notes. Here you can see the use of worm tubs at Mortlach. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite manage to harmoniously blend the existing aromas. The individual, quite pleasant notes don't harmonize well. It's certainly a good whisky, but it fails to optimally combine its strengths. At its regular price, it's definitely overpriced. My recommendation! The independent bottling from Signatory Vintage 100 Proof Edition #34. Better and cheaper!

This companion is spicy, quite tasty and slightly tart. He could have stayed in the barrel a little longer, although he already brings pleasantly strong oak notes with him. It's okay, but in the price range called for it has many competitors, some of which offer a little more advantages...

Red raisins under-cooked, caramel (not bourbon (vanilla and sugar). Well, just red berries and a bit of burntness from the caramel. It's like wine, but not much. A small neat sweetness upon contact with the tongue, which then passes into the wine, after rolling in the mouth it disappears, and on the throat comes medicine, pepper, citrus zest, a slight sensation of peat.

The nose is fruity, sweet, with a hint of caramel at the end, but ultimately bland. Personally, it reminds me of stale water. The taste is a little more complex than expected. It remains sweet for a very long time, then becomes typically sherry-like and spicy, but unfortunately the finish has that bland quality that already bothered me in the nose. Mouthfeel still smooth

Slightly simple and easy to drink, but good value for money 70 cl sized Mortlach. 82/83.

A decent summer sipper, but curiously little meaty Mortlach character for this age. A bit bland and indistinct.

Compared to the previous OB line's NAS Rare Old, this one's nose is more inviting, and more in line with the taste, but IMO the whisky could use some more character. I tasted this with a full compliment of Mortlachs ( OBs Rare Old, 12, 14, 15 GoT, 16, 18, 20, and the 2019 G&M 25), and if there is something to be said for the whole OB line, the 43,4% bottling strength is too low because it kills the finishes.

Intense, spicy, dense, vanilla, slightly smoked, slightly sulfurous. Breathing becomes more vanilla and citrusy.

A really fun and happily sippable malt which despite its low strength reveals more and more of its potential like a surprising long mid palate and finish. Bravo! But prob a bit too expensivefor what it is.

Mortlach 12 year old SMSW 43.4%. 30ml sample Oct 2022. Dull mid tone orange. I’m not sure that looks natural, but who knows... I suppose it could be. Aroma is floral yet peachy – honeysuckle came to mind but equally Chewits sweets. Faintly rusty. Decent. Body is watery and the taste is flat and soft on impact too, surprisingly soft and easy for spirit described as the ‘beast’. Subtle fruity flavours, light barley. Ethereal mix of barley, fruit squash, floral, salt and oak mixing subtly into each other in the mid-palate. No real aftertaste to it to start, though it builds a vague saltiness over time. I can’t remember the last single malt I had that offered so little on the swallow. A gentle, delicate dram, which wasn’t really what I was expecting. A bit too delicate for me – I found it ‘flat’. Highly drinkable and very well-constructed but I’m not getting that much enjoyment from the palate personally. Still, good for a ‘first of the evening’ dram at the price. I gave it the benefit of some doubt and rated it a little more objectively than normal. My sample was only 30ml and it’s the sort of thing that might take 50ml to persuade you of its charms. Any more than £35 for a 70cl bottle of this and the opportunity cost would be too high in my opinion. 3.5/84

Golden color. Light oiliness.

Aroma - ripe red berries, large raisins, caramel. No classic bourbon. Strong, liqueur wine. Taste - very rich taste, dried figs, dates. Then pepperiness, citrus zest, spices and cinnamon, spices, light tobacco and leather appear. There is a little dark chocolate in the aftertaste. More expression, the whisky is mischievous and noticeable.

Quick hit review. Imagine if the people from Springbank would run Mortlach distillery, this could be a belter of a malt! But it is not. Timid, featureless and slightly hot, the nose reveals dried fruits, white pepper and cereal notes. No beast of Dufftown here. Hot spices dominate the arrival before it slowly starts to improve with dates, plums and grapefruit. Mildly bitter oak, peach and soda persist in the aftertaste. One to skip, don't waste time and money on the Wee Witchie. RATING: 3.0/5.0 stars ≙ 79 pts → AVERAGE

I'm trying Mortlach's core range for the first time (12/14/16) after having tried several IBs. This 12yo is just an standard malt in its standard price range, while it could be a banger if Diageo would take advantage of the huge potential of the distillery. My advice: take a Mortlach from 100 proof SV series or any other IB and let this one on the shelves.

Taková klasická “stará” whisky. Kůže, vanilka, sušenka. Zároveň ale lehce nahořklá. Asi nic co bych si dlouho zapamatoval. Na druhou stranu nic co by mě uráželo. Takový slušný daily dram.

Aroma Fruity, red apple, some caramel, tart taste Sweet, spicy, red fruity finish Marriage short, sweetish, somewhat spicy, becoming bitter

a great way to meet the Mortlach distillery

Tasted on 09-20-2021.

Pours clear, fairly light pale gold. Scent is pleasant, strong woody notes, Oloroso Sherry wood , vaniline, Gentle on the booze. Taste is Full, fairly thick, stong oak presence . Sherry oak, vaniline, refined. Mild sweetness. tad drying by the oak. Warmth of the alcohol, but remains very gentle.

Not too complex, but overall a nice uncomplicated sipper.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2023/04/13/dave-broom-sense-of-place-whisky-tasting-book-launch-signing/ The land clearances saw small farms disappear or amalgamate into larger enterprises. People’s identity or sense of place changed, away from small-holding agriculture to a large urban industrial model. With the formation & marriage of the Gordon’s and the Grants, “Speyside as the whisky heartland of Scotland was borne”. N: “Think about weight & texture”, says Dave. Sweet and vegetal, a light copperiness, little ‘funk’, Mortlach got smartened up. T: An involved/complex chew though with less of that idiosyncratic Mortlach funk of yesteryear. Indeed, here we’ve Mortlach with a dinner jacket & bowtie, the Wee Witchie tamed! F: All-round, a good egg with a sweetish finish. C: Like with Highland Park, perhaps it’s time to return to Mortlach as a consumer now quality and price-point have been refrequented, away from the sorry state of Diageo’s premiumised 50cl debacle. This one is currently around £50 in today’s money for a full bottle.

This was a sample for review from a friend, the initial dram didn't scare me, but neither did it knock my socks off. Ralfy is skeptical to this... let's see if I agree or can figure out why. If you get it at the average £45 and don't expect it to change your world, it's fine by me.

OB Morltach always comes into its own when tasted blind.

Tasty and beautifully balanced .. certainly not a beast

Presumably an early 2021 batch. Quite a disappointment. Must be a parcel of badly "finished" casks?

No beast, but a complete pleasure for the whole bottle and for 60 days. Also in terms of optics, a clear recommendation for an overall successful 12yo Speysider.

It is undoubtedly an interesting whisky, but I personally did not like this Mortlach meaty, spiny style very much. The smell reminds me of raw homemade sausage...

This is a very important and highly recommended everyday whisky.

21 20 20 20 81 drinkable and modern style

No, that's nothing, it's just too simple

In terms of smell, it resembles grass and hay in combination with citrus fruits. Personally, I think it's a shame that it feels rather thin in the mouth. It does not taste really exciting, but a bit standard for citrus and brown sugar. In terms of aftertaste, I thought it was disappointing and I expected more from Mortlach.

Orange on the nose. Meaty and iron on the palate and finish. A very unchallenging and uninteresting dram.

Distinct but nicely smoothed whisky, interesting is the combination of salinity and sweetness, both in aroma and taste. Interesting piece, I would like to taste some older from this series

Without infamy and without praise, a well-done homework that does not shine in any aspect, given the reasonable overall cost it is acceptable, had been priced as in the early days it would have been to be completely discarded.

1458) Mortlach, 12YO, The Wee Withcie

(Sample tasting of how long the bottle was open before I don't know.) I approached this malt with relatively neutral expectations and was pleasantly surprised! Very varied and strong aromas. Not really cheap, but it can really do something for a 12 year old.

I quite like this 'entry' Mortlach. It is a lighter version of the Mortlach 16, still displaying a bit of those typical Mortlach lightly sulfurous notes. Some call this 'meaty'.

This was a sample courtesy of Peatbogger. I don't buy Mortlach, well I was going to say very often but not at all and this doesn't encourage me for the future.

Sweet and fruity taste.

Color: Burnished The same conclusion as at the chat-Stammtisch: There are worse 12 year old, but also better for less money. Tastes much better than last time, 84 points. The burnt note in the nose is a bit cheap.

For a 12er Glenirgendwas-Speysider from the third row for max. 30 € would be OK, for a 12er Mortlach OA for around 50 € rather disappointing. Yes, very nice, robust, but nothing "Beast of Speyside", not interesting, not great.

Dangerously tasty stuff, nice smoky hinds of chocolate

Compote, a little peach, in the nose. Taste a bit disappointing, lighter tobacco. Beautiful in the medium-long finish, hazelnut, creamy, chocolate.

Some honey and fruits, citrus, oranges, peach. It's pleasant and smooth, though not very remarkable.

Mogwai For years Mortlach was only available as a 16 Year old in the Flora & Fauna series, but in 2015 Diageo decided to ‘premiumise’ the brand. It was replaced by a NAS (Rare Old), and 18 and 25 years old, but the prices were so high that the bottles gathered dust on the shelves. So Diageo rethought their strategy and replaced the core range once more with an (more) affordable 12, 16 and 20 years old. I’ll gladly try them for you. Let me start with the 12 Year Old, named The Wee Witchi after the small No 1 Wines Still with a contents of a mere 7.880 liters. The nose is fruity and sweet on sugared oranges, plums, sultanas with a soft note of vanilla. Pretty creamy. Some cinnamon and nutmeg. Hint of pencil shavings and banana peel. Creamy and quite spicy on nutmeg, ginger and woodspice on the palate. Less sweet than the nose announce. More like sweet & sour. Lovely notes of orange marmalade, chewing tobacco and some gooseberries. I light bitterness as well. Nice. Pretty long finish that allows the bitter note to continue and leaves the mouth fairly dry. Luckily it is sweet enough to not become astringent. It does remain quite spicy. Despite the young age, this Mortlach is already quite round and spicy with a good body. The Mogwai of the series.

It is remarkably bold and deep for a regular 12 years old. Atypical speysider, very powerful

Smell: Fine citrus notes, oranges are superficial and some limes. Sweet malt, caramel, the whisky now looks heavier and spicier, ginger, nuts and orange peel. Taste: Slightly sweet start, toffee, forest honey and burnt apple, a bit watery, then it becomes a bit snappy and spicy, pepper, herbaceous, ginger. A bitterness and dryness set in. Finish: Medium length, bitter orange jam, very fine wood smoke, the bitterness and dryness remain. - Conclusion: A nice 12 year old standard whisky that is by no means boring. You just have to like the bitterness at the end or not.

90

Mortlach's 12 year old. Wee Whitcie is of the small stills of Mortlach. All three are different sizes.

It's not a bad whisky. But it's not a Mortlach. Nothing memorable, in the realm of the average profile that tries to please the passive consumer. A shame. Predominant notes: caramel-based energy bar. Complexity: for beginners. Expendable. 75 - 79 | Average

Overall, it's a bit more expensive than others in its class, and I wouldn't say it delivers exceptional performance for its price, but it's not a disappointing whisky either. It's much richer on the nose, but not so much on the palate and finish. Ultimately, this is an entry-level whisky. But it's definitely not a bad whisky. It's enjoyable and suitable for everyday drinking. On the other hand, you can feel the meaty texture of this whisky; I likened its sulfurous character to cumin spice.

In the nose relatively easy. In the mouth then through the oak a little more intense. Overall, however, he is too trivial and not very full of character.

Simple but sweet 12, a great start to the new Mortlach line.

Since I basically like Mortlach, I was happy to have this dram in my glass. Color: golden caramel

- 12yo - speyside single malt - 43.4%

Really nice nose, warm sherry notes, blackberries and some cherry. The palate is European oak cask forward, light caramels and sweet dark fruits and spices. Orange , apricots, vanilla and cereal malt. Dry finish, with full bodied intensity. A less intense sherry cask whith almost tastes rum like to my palate. The subtle sherry and more bourbon influences appeal to my palate. A tasty dram.

Mortlach 12 YO The Wee Witchie Category: Single Malt Manufacturer and bottler: Mortlach Distillery (Diageo) Region: Speyside Fortress: 43.4% Volume: 700 ml Bottling date: 05/27/2019 Barrel type: ex-bourbon and ex-sherry Min. age: 12 years old Filtration: present Dye: yes The nose is sweet and fruity with very light spices and a complete lack of any off-putting alcoholic moments. It opens with tones of dark honey, toffee, sweet citrus fruits, hazelnuts, berry jam (currant and strawberry), brown raisins, milk chocolate with dark cherries, light malt-vanilla and ginger notes. Strong sulphurous shades also manifest themselves quite noticeably, which adds a certain amount of specificity to the aromatics. All in all, a very attractive, complex and agile nose that compares favorably with many Speyside peers. Taste. The body is of medium density, creamy, slightly oily. Still, if it were my will, then I would bring the degree to 46%. The taste is multidimensional, changeable, goes from candied citrus fruits (sour, such as pomelo or grapefruit), caramel sweets, raisins through tobacco, woody bitterness to the sweetness of berry jam, chocolate and pastries, a slight viscosity and sourness of gooseberries and white currants and returns again. to bitterness, this time ginger. Aftertaste. Medium duration. Dryish. Tobacco ash, ginger, hazelnuts, berries. Summary. The “little witch” “conjured” us a young, but well-knit whisky with its specific, special features that distinguish it favorably among the “peers” from its native region. Delicious whisky, which, I think, will appeal to both simple inhabitants for unobtrusive use, and connoisseurs, so that they can, as they say, “sit by the fireplace”, figure out the nuances. I would add more "fat" to the body, but perhaps then it will become more concentrated and less "drinkable" for most consumers. Well, to each his own. In any case, this 12-shka is very worthy and receives from me 84 points out of 100.

At first, it is very woody, on varnished cherry, you feel like you can feel the grooves in the wood, then come the meaty notes, like smoked meat. Finally, the fruits, apricot marmalade, blood oranges, yellow fruits, raisins, dates. Earthy reflections. On the palate, heather, ferns, and lemon, on the pulp, vanilla, spices, ginger, cumin, paprika. Lychee, banana. Surprising finish, initially robust, then on the length and sweetness. Slight acidity, dried fruits. Oak bark. I really enjoyed it, I find that it does not lack character and originality, complex, fruity, and quite intense. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2021/11/mortlach-12-yo-wee-witchie.html

tastes on the whole after € 30 class - but costs 50 .. is not enough to me to make a purchase to move - actually not even to me detailed notes worth to be - 4cl 4 life :)

I'll make it short. As bad as many write below I do not find him. Of course, no high-flyer but in itself a solid drop for a leisurely round. He tasted it. But as always a matter of taste ... who likes the Balvenie 12 DW is not wrong here. 83 points

Conclusion: light in flavor, rich in taste and aftertaste of whisky. Very decent 12-year release.

Very aromatic. Mild, balanced. Really good.

The bourbon barrel is much brighter than the sherry. Definitely let it breathe whisky. Fresh: 84 points. Breathing: 86 points.

Eyes: Golden Scent Nose: Familiar incense, ash, melon smoothie, honey, succulent fruit, woody milky fragrance, plump smell, mango syrup, a little pear pit. Taste Palate: high sweetness, no acid, some bitterness. Mango, Angelica, wolfberry, pineapple pie, honey passion fruit juice, slightly dry milk flavor, creamy macadamia nuts, comfrey paste Final rhyme Finish: long, wooden furniture, coconut sugar, incense burner, ash body: light and watery , Slightly astringent, oily feeling is not strong, but still some plump Nose: 84.5/100 Palate: 85/100 Finish: 84/100 Body: 83/100 Overall: 84/100 Overall: Although the impression of 14 years and 20 years is not as good as that of 16 years, I have clearly gained the essence of 16 years in 12 years. The style is mostly a combination of tropical fruit jam and ashes, and the wine is slightly plump.

2020-12-27

There happens a lot in the glass. Fruitiness, body and some sweetness with soft spices. Appears mature but a bit modest at first. Great balance of flavour tones, although it is slightly out of harmony with the ABV in my opinion due to the grippy mouthfeel.