Mortlach 22 yo 1997 / 2019 ‘Dedicate to G.D’Ambrosio’ My Name is Whisky Selection 56.9% vs Ardmore 22 yo 1998 / 2020 Catawiki #7508092 49.2%
Mortlach 22 yo 1997 / 2019 ‘Dedicate to G.D’Ambrosio’ My Name is Whisky Selection 56.9%
A gift from Signor D’Ambrosio, thank you Sir! Here we find a perfect example of the brawny meaty power of today’s sherry matured Mortlach. Big and bold, thick and rich. A reduction of meat sauce, berry compote, lit coal, oak logs, gristle, bags of bouquet garni, MSG and burnt cranberry sauce. A surprise on the tongue though: Despite the loud oak, the wine and whisky win out and the tongue is awash in soy, molasses and aniseed, but also graphite, sodden earth and leaf litter. A three corner fight between the spice jacked jam, the earthy and the umami aspects of the whisky ensues. Mortlach is a rare creature able to bear these flavours well. So! A whisky of outsized proportions, perhaps suiting a man whose reserve belies the impact wrought by his lifetime of passion in whisky. 88 pts
Ardmore 22 yo 1998 / 2020 Catawiki #7508092 49.2%
Another special one. This time from the great folks at Catawiki, who you might know have a specialist Whisky auction programme. Right, this checks and underlines for emphasis all the boxes for peated Ardmore – Dry leafy smoke, rooty earthy peat, hay, burnt pears on oat crackers, dry firewood and hot slate. An added bonus on the tongue, where it reveals itself as clean, with plenty of mentholated green hues, bitter citrus pith and medicinal rubbing oils. I am also reminded of preserved nutmegs – not the spice, the fruit. Buckets of hot minerals, dry trees and sun-scorched paint. True to form, a little lean on the body, as if leaning towards the trebles with less of the bass, but no off notes whatsoever. Great example of an Ardmore. 88 pts
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