Mortlach 25 Years Old 1994 Cask #8181 (Gordon & MacPhail)

Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin, whose deep stocks include some of the oldest Mortlach in existence, selected this 25 Year Old: a 1994 vintage, cask 8181, an outturn of 606 bottles. Mortlach, owned by John Walker & Sons from 1923, makes a dense, sulphury Speyside through worm tubs and its singular 2.81-times distillation.

Twenty-five years in Oloroso built deep sherried maturity on the meaty frame, melanoidins and decades of oxidation giving dried fruit, leather and nuts.

At 55.9% it shows chocolate, dried fruit, a nutty depth, a sherried weight, vanilla and an oily texture, undiluted. Big, savoury and full-bodied.