Mortlach Signatory Vintage Binny's Private Select 10 Year Oloroso Sherry Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $100

- 118.2 Proof

- 10 Years

- Cask No. 7

- 2023

- Speyside

There are two primary reasons I picked up this bottle.  First, it came highly recommended from a Binny's manager who, while we don't necessarily share the same palate when it comes to bourbon, has certainly served me well with his Scotch recommendations. Given that it's a private pick bottled at cask strength, his recommendation was really all that was necessary to convince me to grab a bottle.

However, this bottle certainly stood out on the shelf for one particular reason -- its color!!  I'm not one typically swayed by color. I've had some incredibly flavorful whiskeys that were just a shade above clear. But, this particular whiskey was so incredibly dark, I just knew that the force of the 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt was going to be strong with this one! It looked like a completely different type of liquor next to all the other bottles on the shelf.

One thing that was consistent on both the nose and the palate is that to call this "jammy" is an understatement.  As soon as I popped the cork, the room was filled with black raspberry and black currants. There was also a sort of toast note, making it seem a bit breakfast-ish. While it was hard to get past those rich, dark fruit notes, I also got something a bit herbal, kind of like a sage or an oregano note.

Upon my first sip, though, I was absolutely in love with this whisky! My mouth was flooded with notes of currant, black cherry and fig. It was rich and very jammy, and the 10 years spent in the Oloroso cask really allowed those fortified wine notes to take hold.  It also had a sort of syrupy quality, with that rich sweetness to it.

It also had a bit of a pie crust note, perhaps the toast I got on the nose. It was bit crackery, but also light and almost buttery. There was also a bit of balance thanks to a fresh black pepper note to add a little spice and pull from the sweetness. 

The finish is what absolutely sold me, though. I mentioned "syrupy" above, and this had a viscosity that reminded me of syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. It absolutely coated the mouth in wonderful flavors of rich, dark fruit notes, but also that black pepper spice. There was a bit of an umami note on the finish as well, and it all kind of came together like really well-done barbecue. 

This was a sherry bomb, for sure, but it was a really, really good sherry bomb!!  I absolutely loved this bottle, and as I'm sitting here typing this I'm wishing I just had more and more of it.

Grade: A+

Mortlach Gordon & MacPhail Binny's Exclusive Bottling 19 Year Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:
- $90 (Originally $160)
- 116.8 Proof
- 19 Years
- 1st Fill Sherry Butt
- Speyside

It's been quite a while since I last reviewed a Scotch on here. Scotch is where I started in whiskey, but I eventually gravitated to bourbon and rye, which I quickly learned to love. And, given the plethora of great bottles and easy access, it's where I've stayed for the most part.

However, when Binny's marked this bottle down to $90 from $160 as an End of Bin sale, I couldn't help but add this one to my collection. It has all the earmarks of a Scotch I would love -- from the Speyside region, cask strength and sherry finished. Never mind the fact that it's a 19 year single malt for only $90!!  At that price, and considering what's in the bottle, I figured I could't possibly go wrong.

On the nose I immediately got candy-type sweetness, with a lot of caramel and honey. It was more of that rich, burnt sugary note. That seemed to pair with something fruity and sweet, but that fruit flavor seemed to go in two different directions. On one end I got a distinct melon note, like cantaloupe. On the other end, I got a bright and fresh raspberry note, which I'm sure is from the sherry. It also had a bit of a sweet pipe tobacco note that added just a touch of earthiness. All in all, it smelled amazing.

On my first sip, the first thing I noticed was how super rich and buttery it was. This Scotch was thick and oily, and seemed to immediately coat my mouth with flavor. Up front I got a lot of brown sugar, but it wasn't as heavy. There was a golden honey note that seemed to keep that sweetness on the lighter end. I also got a decent amount of yeast or bready notes that worked really well with the brown sugar and honey.

It wasn't all sweet, though. The grain seemed to come through, and with the buttery texture reminded me of Ritz crackers. I also got a slight pepper spice that seemed to become more prominent as I made my way through the bottle.

Of course, I got a lot of fruit-forward notes. I didn't get the cantaloupe I got on the nose, but I did get a lot of fresh red raspberry and even strawberry. It was certainly on the sweeter end of the berry spectrum. Those honey flavors that seemed to carry throughout each sip complemented these fruity notes nicely.

Unfortunately, the proof seemed to get in the way a bit. Though I tend to love high proofed whiskeys, in this instance the burn seemed to magnify the peppery spice and detract from the bright raspberry and honey notes that I wanted more of. It seemed to just overwhelm those lighter, brighter flavors. I did find that with a solitary, small ice cube I enjoyed this much more.

Grade: B+