Mortlach 18 Years Old 1998 Cask #6 (La Maison du Whisky)

La Maison du Whisky, the celebrated Paris merchant, in its Artist range, selected this 18 Year Old, a 1998 vintage, cask 6, an outturn of 695 bottles. Mortlach, the first licensed distillery in Dufftown, runs a 2.81-times distillation and worm-tub condensers that give the heavy, meaty spirit fans call the Beast of Dufftown.

By eighteen years the meaty spirit had turned rich and oxidative in the Oloroso, raisin, walnut, chocolate and a struck-match savour.

At 55.9% it shows chocolate, old wood, cooked fruit, dried fruit and leather, undiluted. The savoury Dufftown style.