Mortlach The Katana’s Edge Special Release 2023 70 cl. 58%
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
A steel moonlight flashes, in the sweet calm of the night. Swiftly, the katana, a sword crafted with complexity and precision, pierces the darkness and reveals the bold mysteries of the midnight age. Handled with astonishing skill, it shines as a symbol of elegance and craftsmanship.
Mortlach is famous for its sweet but savory taste, defiantly rare among Speyside malts. Our malt master drew inspiration from the flavors of Japan and finished part of this expression in former Kanosuke Japanese whiskey white oak casks. To add balance to the sweetness, ex-pinot noir French oak casks were used to finish the remainder of the whiskey.
A golden tinge introduces sweet aromas of ripe melon and pear along with spicy flavors that cut the sweetness. The notes create an umami-rich taste that lingers in the long, enticing and spicy finish. The result is a sweet and savory intensity as deep and complex as the mighty katana.
The Mortlach in this year’s Special Release from Diageo has been named The Katana’s Edge – why is not entirely clear, but it is at least sharply cut with a nice alcohol strength of 58%! Perhaps it has something to do with the aging in Japanese whiskey casks from Kanosuke. And it also contains a proportion aged in pinot noir casks! An exciting and atypical Mortlach.
Colour: Light amber.
Aroma: Fruity, spicy and umami-influenced with notes of orange peel, hung meat, cloves and pepper.
Tasting notes: Both sweet and spicy, quite full-bodied but with a sharp edge and plenty of finesse.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy it plain.
Mortlach is a name that makes the teeth of many whiskey fans water. Mortlach is known as “The Beast of Dufftown”: a nickname it got because of the fruity, full-bodied and meaty style. Often the whiskey is said to have elements of umami and notes of, well, meat… It certainly sounds strange; the notes may come from a heavy and sulphurous distillate, but after a long time in casks – preferably sherry casks – it develops into something very beautiful.
The distillery was founded in 1823 by a Mr. James Findlater, and today it is owned by Diageo. They recently released a brand new series of single malts, but until then there were few official bottlings, because the powerful Mortlach distillate is the soul of many popular blends. However, the whiskey is popular with independent bottlers and good companies such as Ian Mcleod and Gordon & MacPhail have bottled countless gems over the years.
