Adelphi Mortlach 1990 Cask 5947 57.5%

Adelphi are one of the most highly consistent bottlers - along with a few others - and Mortlach (like Caol Ila) is one of the most consistent whiskies so this should be a bute! Well lets see:

Nose: Big sherry, slightly bitter, some sweetness too. Pink marshmallows and cloves. Water gives hints of Rhubarb.

Taste: Dry oranges and lemons? Some heavier notes though and initial alcohol is a little spicy. Very coating of the mouth though, and with a little lavender (but in a good way not an FWP Bowmore way!) With water more of the sherried notes come out.

Finish: Big lingering sweet dark fruit notes but actually very drying.

Comment: Difficult one this need to try again at some point - I really like it but the alcohol at full strength dominates a little too much. But a splash of water opens it up superbly.

Score: 89/100

For Adelphi's notes please visit http://www.adelphidistillery.com/whisky/mort90 As these are done by the Great Charlie Maclean and Alex Bruce they are a lot better than mine - and posher what is bosky?

If that sounds disrespectful it is not - these are two of the greatest guys in the industry.

Kininvie Tasting Notes

After several requests for my "proper" tasting notes for Kininvie I thought I had best find them so here goes.

Kininvie 1990 - Cask Sample 62%- Tasted in September 2003.

Nose: Light, floral and sweet, quite spirity straight. With water sweeter and more grassy.
Taste: Creamy, grassy perfume, with water creamier, a little bit metallic just at the end.
Finish: smooth and short.
Comment: Rosebankish in style, a lot easier to drink with water buy not really fully mature.

Score 76/100

It was reported that this sample came from the first ever cask that had been filled from Kininvie, I think that it is a decent dram with a lot of potential to be a very easy drinking lowlandish style whisky. However I think that the cask management needs to be improved this was obviously a second or third fill bourbon cask. I have tried about three or four other samples and they all seemed to be from very tired casks!!! Very dissapointing would make you believe that they don't intend bottle this as a single in its own right for some time. Give it a good cask and I think it could be a good dram.