Mortlach 13 years old, Special Releases 2021 /55,9%/ – „Special Releases” is a limited edition range of whiskies released each fall by Diageo. The series was introduced in 2002 and originally highlighted the best and the rarest malt and grain whiskies from the company portfolio bottled at natural strength. The recent releases however, include fewer really old (and thus high priced) expressions and more mid-aged and mid-priced ones. The 2021 release consists of eight bottlings, with only one being over 20 years old. It is called ‘Legends Untold’ and labels feature magical creatures, such as elves and dragons; each bottle carries QR code, which when scanned will bring illustrations to life. Here we have Mortlach 13 years old, whisky aged in virgin and refill American oak casks and bottled at 55.9% abv. Diageo does noy reveal how many bottles were released.
Nose: fresh, caramel, vanilla, toffee, greengages, gooseberries, quince jelly, roasted peanuts, dash of mixed herbs, polished oak and hints of potpourri.
Palate: vanilla cream, butterscotch, white chocolate, stewed apples and pears, coconut flakes, brown sugar, candied ginger and toasted oak.
Finish: fairly long, with notes of vanilla cream, caramel, summer fruits, ginger, white pepper and oak.
