If you’re looking to splurge on holiday gifts, these bottles might just be the perfect fit. Luxury brands Mortlach and Talisker recently dropped limited-release expressions — each accompanied by a hefty price tag.
Mortlach’s new Midnight Malt is the most intense bottle of the brand’s offerings, according to a Dec. 13 emailed press release. The Scotch whisky features savory herbal notes on the nose, bursting on the palate with spice, fig jam, and apple cobbler flavors, according to the brand.
The 49.1 percent ABV spirit was aged for 30 years in three separate seasoned casks: Bordeaux wine, Calvados, and Guatemalan rum. As the boldest Mortlach expression, the brand recommends drinking it neat or with a few drops of water to dilute.
“When day transcends to night, light changes and shadows emerge. Mortlach Midnight Malt captures the feeling of this moment,” the press release states. “Unexpected layers of richness and intensity emerge from a three-cask finish of bold provenance.”
Only 350 bottles will be available for a suggested retail price of $4,999.99 each.
The Talisker 44 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky: Forests of the Deep offers a similarly full-bodied option for generous holiday giving. A total of 1,997 bottles will be available worldwide (102 in the United States) for a suggested price of $4,499.99.
Sitting at 49.1 percent ABV, this Scotch offers subtle notes of seaweed, salt, and warm oak on the nose, layered with sweet toffee and lemon zest. According to the brand’s tasting notes, those lucky enough to snag a bottle can expect umami accompanied on the palate by smoky and peppery warmth.
The maritime influence of this expression calls back to Talisker’s partnership with environmental nonprofit Parley for the Oceans.
“Kelp forests are the planet’s underwater architects and a powerful blue carbon force within the ecosystem that makes Earth habitable. They support biodiversity and sequester and store carbon dioxide more efficiently than the rainforests,” Parley founder and CEO Cyril Gutsch states in the release. “This very special and rare edition of Talisker whisky is a tribute to the beauty and fragility of these great forests of the deep, and our collaborative mission to support their protection.”
With so few bottles in stock, Scotch collectors’s best bet for obtaining these expressions may be a request to Santa.
