Tomer Goren hits one out of the park with this independently bottled 1995 Mortlach.
Tomer is the very talented head distiller of Milk and Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv, Israel’s purveyor of Whisky Live Tel-Aviv, and the owner of Goren’s Whisky, bottling its fourth single cask, at natural cask strength.
The first two casks were bottled for Whisky Live 2015. These were a seven year old Craigellachie and a 19 year old Tormore. For Whisky Live 2018, he bottled a 37 year old Port Ellen and we now come to the fourth bottling in this series.
It’s presented in a Glencairn decanter bottle, with an authenticity assurance features by Prooftag.
This is a 21 year old distilled in 1995. It was matured in a second fill PX sherry butt, which will be evident to you as you sip it. While it was bottled in 2017, it has actually gone on sale only now, and can still be bought directly from Tomer.
Goren’s Whisky Mortlach 1995, 21 Year Old, Second Fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry Butt (51.8% ABV, NCF, NC)
Appearance: Gold, very sturdy necklace evenly releasing drops.
Nose: Honey and leather, with jellied cranberry sauce and dried figs and dates. There’s also a fresh vibrancy of fruit, hints of red apple, clove and a hint of green cardamom.
Palate: Thick and syrupy, with a fruity sweetness on the tongue first, switching to spiciness. It’s very full bodied, though I wouldn’t describe it as beefy, rather more like a good PX whisky. You get a little bit of bitterness as you hold the liquid in your mouth.
Linger: Spicy on the tongue, with cinnamon, clove and white pepper. The spices extend to the gullet, with the inside of the cheeks being tingly. Sweet waves revisit as the spice settles on the tongue.
Conclusion
The spice and sweetness on the palate are so perfectly balanced, this is really quite delightful. Fruitier on the nose and spicier in the mouth, this is a dram the delivers, with a big sumptuous mouth feel, as you’d expect from a Mortlach, although it’s somewhat less beefy in character.