Mortlach 17 Year (2003) Adelphi Selection

Scotch Whisky Review : Mortlach 17 Year (2003) Adelphi Selection

Distillery: Mortlach.

Bottler: Adelphi.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 17 year. Distilled in 2003, bottled in 2021.

ABV: 55.5%.

Cask Number: 800263.

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Hogshead.

Price: Part of an advent calendar curated by /u/federalagents, /u/dangerousdoorknob, and myself.

Color: 0.5, Yellow Gold. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

This is the sixteenth installment of this year’s Christmas Countdown. You can find previous installments here.

Nose: Rather strong the sherry here which is surprising given how light the color of the whisky is combined with the fact that this is a refill cask. I would have expected a far lesser presence of sherry. Wine-y green grape notes galore here.

Palate: This drinks remarkably easily here. Unlike the nose, there isn’t anything I’d pin as sherry influence here. It honestly tastes more like an ex-bourbon cask than an ex-sherry one. It is light, fruity and slightly creamy. Notes wise, green apples and vanilla cream come to mind. Adding a bit of water intensifies the green apple notes and brings in a waxy lemon note as well.

Finish: Fairly short in length. You get some underripe apples and lemon rind.

Conclusion: This Mortlach was a really interesting. The nose suggests big sherry, though the color of the whisky suggests otherwise. The palate delivers something that tastes very much like it’s aged in an ex-bourbon cask. The end result is nice, though a bit simple. I probably would have guessed this to be a Linkwood if served blind with that nice green apple note. Some more complexity would be nice but this is tasty enough as it is.

Rating: 80.

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Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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