1999 Mortlach 21 Year Old (Special Release 2020) Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Tasting note: [15ml sample] Finished in PX and oloroso seasoned casks. Lovely soft, rounded aromatics evoke sheepskins, new leather, dried coconut and sprinklings of cinnamon. Full bodied and meaty with an expansive malty surge. No sherry bomb, but a pure, fresh and superbly poised Mortlach. 56.9% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. 7692 bottles.

Other reviews... Aged in a mix of Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry-seasoned casks, this has a peppery, slightly savory nose, offering boiled sweets and dried fruits. The palate is voluptuous, with sherry, dates, caramel, dark spices, and oak tannins. Licorice and a suggestion of chile in the ultimately drying, lengthy, slightly meaty finish.
91 points - whiskyadvocate.com

Right, sadly only a finishing but remember we found out that they’ve been tuning them down in recent years and that some have become purely anecdotal. According to the colour, that would be the case here… Colour: pale gold. Nose: sulphur gone, even meatiness gone, hello crispness and fruits. You do feel a few oils (graphite) and this feeling of ‘a fat Islay without any smoke’ but what’s really leading the pack is this bright combination of white and yellow fruits with chalk and paraffin. The tenser side of Mortlach, probably the one we like best. Oloroso and PX are M.I.A. and we shall not complain at all. With water: citrus and waxes all over the place. Mouth (neat): huge, fantastic, pure, rich, fat, crisp, resinous, melony, waxy, mineral, a tad rubbery. Haut-Brion blanc? No, Mortlach! With water: spicy herbs coming out, as well as a little leather, caraway, cinnamon mints, chilli, pepper, tabasco… It’s as if the casks had suddenly woken up. Having said that, citrus and wax keep running the show. Finish: long and spicy. A tad less interesting I would say, oak spices could come out just any ‘active’ aged spirit. Comments: utterly loved it as long as we hadn’t unleashed the oak spices towards the end. Blame it on our water. Or, hey, on the Pedro! 86 points - whiskyfun.com