43,4°
Distillery : Mortlach - Speyside
American Ex-Bourbon and European Ex-Sherry Casks
Original Bottling
Core Range
Single Malt
Launched in 2018
Totally Unpeated
For years, Mortlach had just one original bottling, a 16-year-old within the Flora & Fauna range. Then Diageo realised the distillery's potential and in 2015 launched an initial range that didn't make much of an impression, a NAS called Rare Old, an 18 and a 25 year old. Deemed too expensive, the range was redesigned in 2018, with a 12-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 20-year-old. And today, it's a huge success. Curiously, it took years for this product to become available in France. The name The Wee Witchie refers to a tiny still that sits in the distillery and is said to give the distillate its special richness - the Little Witch of the place.
Let's Taste It :
At first, it's very woody, with the varnished cherry wood giving the impression of grooves in the wood, followed by meaty notes, like smoked meat. Finally, fruits, apricot marmalade, blood oranges, yellow fruits, dried raisins, dates. Earthy hints. On the palate, heather, ferns and lemon, on the pulp, vanilla, spices, ginger, cumin, paprika. Lychee, banana. Astonishing finish, initially strong, then long and smooth. Slight acidity, dried fruits. Oak bark.
In Short,
I really enjoyed it, and found it to be full of character and originality, complex, fruity and quite intense. That said, when bottled independently, the distillery often reveals an even stronger character. The price is a little high, but I'd still recommend buying it, it's worth discovering.
Score : 86
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Mountains of the Moon - Caterpillar
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