Gordon & Macphail Mortlach 1954

A Tasty Dram whisky blog tasting notes


Christmas deserves a very special dram. From the start I knew I wanted to conclude my Six drams till Christmas with this Mortlach 1954. Simply because it is... Mortlach.

Since the relaunch of the Mortlach brand, independent bottler such as Gordon & Macphail became the standard when it comes to affordable and quality bottlings from this once revered distillery.

Not even 10 years after the first still run, Mortlach changed owners for a mere £270 in 1831.




Identity Card Mortlach 1954

  • Mortlach 1954, Mortlach Distillery (Dufftown, Speyside)
  • Gordon & Macphail distillery label
  • Distilled 27 januari 1954, bottled 20th November 2012
  • 58 year old single malt
  • 347 bottles from first fill sherry butt #494
  • Alcohol: 43%

Tasting notes


Colour: Dark amber. A reddish brown. Thick legs on the glass.

Nose: Fresh and fruity. Yet dignified at the same time. Strawberry jam. Oak and furniture polish. Coke candy. Tobacco leaf and citrus peel. Slightly metallic in the background.
With water: Chocolate and dried fruits. Strawberry. Allspice biscuit.

Taste: Full-bodied. It's rushing from sweet to bitter and spicy. Oak and herbal tobacco. Passionfruit and grapefruit. Leather.
With water: Sour and bitter. Grapefruit and oak mixed in a kitchen processor. Wild herbs and wood stain.

Finish: Bitter mint and cacao. Wood Stain.

What did happen in 1954?

  • April: Bill Haley & His Comets record "Rock around the clock"
  • April 26: Akira Kurosawa releases Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai)
  • June 7: Computer scientist Alan Turing commits suicide
  • December 4: The first Burger King opens in Miami.


This Mortlach concludes my tasting notes on the Gordon & Macphail Speyside Collection. Six drams with quite some history. Some are very good and some were utterly fantastic. This Mortlach didn't beat the Strathisla but was a very close tie.

Merry Christmas (if you're not celebrating Christmas: Happy Sunday) everybody. May your glass never be empty!

A sample of this whisky was provided by Gordon & Macphail. Thanks for the opportunity to sample the Speyside Collection. Opinions expressed in this review are of course my own.

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