Mortlach is a very masculine spirit, and 18 months in a Marsala cask added just the right amount of complexity without overwhelming the whisky, which maintains unmistakable traits of this unique distillery. At the nose it’s rather restrained, with a dry character and an only slightly nutty hint, but it’s at the palate that it explodes with the typical Mortlach style. Firm, bold, mineral, with an explosive crescendo of beeswax and even a hint of peaty smokiness that become more evident with a drop of water, it then gradually evolves into a dry nutty style which betrays the Marsala influence. The finale is peppery and grows more astringent, but still retaining an obvious Mortlach character. Robust and elegant at the same time