New Release: MORTLACH 1992-2016 23yo HUNTER LAING OLD&RARE for THE WHISKY HOOP 58.0%

This is the first bottling I was involved in selecting for The Whisky Hoop. MORTLACH 1992-2016 23yo HUNTER LAING OLD&RARE for THE WHISKY HOOP 58.0% - One of 90 bottles The aroma is rich with sherry, caramel, plum jam, bitter chocolate, clove and cardamom, along with subtle cinnamon and a touch of leather and roasted barley. On the palate, it expands spice-rich and aromatic, with plum jam, caramel, chocolate, roasted barley, a sweet, velvety texture balanced by herbal bitterness, a clean finish, and a long, richly spiced aftertaste. [Very Good] This is an OLD&RARE bottling of MORTLACH 1992, aged for 23 years, selected by Hunter Laing for The Whisky Hoop. It was a cask I personally selected during my trip to Scotland, and it stood out as the best among the samples tasted that day. However, even Hunter Laing had confidence in this cask, which was surprisingly expensive for its specifications. Financial constraints made it difficult to bottle an entire cask for The Whisky Hoop, but after negotiations, only 90 bottles were authorized. Upon opening, it turned out to be a bottling by OLD&RARE rather than OMC. While I love the label, it was still quite expensive (around 40,000 yen). However, the contents were indeed exceptional. There was a rumor that the aroma before bottling often differs significantly from after bottling, but fortunately, this bottle had almost identical impressions. The sherry character was not overpowering but clearly present, and I was impressed by the complexity of its aroma. The jammy fruits, caramel, bitter chocolate, diverse spices, roasted barley, and a faint leather note were all remarkable. The jammy sweetness was rich but not overwhelming, with a balanced bitterness and spicy nuances that gave the flavor depth. Among the diverse aromas highlighting the sherry character, the spiciness of clove and cardamom stood out particularly. Following my selection of the Fara Class 89 for Main Malt & Campbell, this bottling represents an outstanding sherry cask with a different direction in recent years.