Mortlach

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > M

MORTLACH

15 years old

40 %

LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

Water: Conval Hills: Dykehead & Catscraig

Mash tun: 1 x 12 tonnes

Washbacks: 6 x 62000 litres

3 wash stills: 2 x 7500 litres, 1 x 17.500 litres

3 spirit stills: 1 x 8000 litres, 1 x 8500 litres, 1 x 9500 litres

Output: 2.000.000 litres

MORTLACH

21 years old

40 %
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

MORTLACH

10 years old

43 %
SCOTTISH WILDLIFE
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

HEN HARRIER (Circus cyaneus)

At the beginning of this century persecution by keepers meant that the Hen Harrier was a rare sight, restricted to the Orkneys and Outer Hebrides. Since changes in the wildlife law has given them protection they have increased in numbers and spread their range rapidly.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a charitable organisation whose aims are to promote the concervation of the wildlife of Scotland. A donation will made to the Trust for every bottle sold.

Uitgebracht in 1983

MORTLACH

13 years old

59,5 %

Distilled May 80
LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY
Bottled Jan 94
Society Cask No. code 76.11
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh.

Bleek, iets groen van kleur. Afkomstig van een opnieuw gemaakt vat. Scherp in de neus, zoet en medicinaal, zoals het eten van toffees onder invloed van Chloroform. Met wat water erbij wordt de drank zacht en nootachtig. De smaak start zoet en peperachtig, met gerstesuiker en cayenne. Lange, droge afdronk.

MORTLACH

12 years old

46 %

UN-CHILLFILTERED COLLECTION
SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Distilled 22nd August 1989
Bottled 7 th June 2002
Cask No. 3652
Genummerde flessen
827 Bottles
No Chillfiltration
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

Uitgebracht, samen in Rack met Auchentoshan 9 years old, Clynelish 9 years old, Highland Park 14 years old en Caol Ila 12 years old.

MORTLACH

16 years old

43 %

FLORA & FAUNA
Distilled 1976
Bottled 1992
Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown, Keith,
Banffshire

Mortlach was the first of seven distilleries in Dufftown. In the 19th Century farm animals kept in adjoining byres were fed on barley left over from processing. Today water from spring in the Conval Hills is used to produce this delightful smooth, fruity single Malt Scotch Whisky.

MORTLACH

1 9 5 9

42 years old

40 %
Distilled 1959
Bottled 2001
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son, Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

MORTLACH

10 years old

40%
CENTENARY RESERVE 1895- 1995
100 years of quality and exellence
Distilled 1984
Bottled 1995
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son, Ltd
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

MORTLACH

20 years old

43%
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 27.8.75
Bottled 3.96
Cask No. 6250
315 bottles
Van Wees, Amersfoort

MORTLACH

20 years old

62,2 %

RARE MALTS SELECTION
Natural Cask Strenght
Distilled 1978
Bottled May 1998
Limited Edition
Genummerde flessen
George Cowie & Son, Elgin

MORTLACH

17 years old

63,1 %

FLORA & FAUNA
CASK STRENGHT
Year of Distillation 1980
Bottled in 1997
Limited Bottling
Genummerde flessen
Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown, Keith,
Banffshire

This wonderfully complex Speyside malt has a rich nose with suggestions of sandal-wood and oranges.

MORTLACH

13 years

58,6 %

SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Distilled Jun 90
Bottled Jul 03
Society Cask code 76.33
Outturn 644 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
'Something for everyone'

This classic Speyside distillery still has wormtubs and boasts the oldest still in Dufftown.

With a wonderful deep amber hue, this example is clearly from an active sherry cask. To be¬gin with, the nose is greeted with a curious port note, then chocolate and mint, like Fry's and After Eights. In the background there is a buttery caramel character. To taste, it is initially sweet, then like chewing burnt wood. The impression is of a clean spirit. Floral elements appear with water: cowslips, buttercups and meadows: 'very Julie Andrews'.

A buttery element remains. Diluted, the palate is sweet and creamy, and remains burnt at the finish. A little bit of everything, and all of it is good.

MORTLACH

13 years old

58,6%

SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Distilled Jun 90
Bottled Jul 03
Society Cask code 76.34
Outturn 655 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, dinburgh
''Carnations and treacle'

This distillery is the oldest in Dufftown, and it's 2 and a 1/2 times distilled spirit seems to show sherry cask maturation.

This example seems to prove this assertion. It has a lovely deep colour, like golden syrup in the can. The first nose is rich in treacle: sweet, but with a smoky richness. It is also orangey, like good dark mamalade. The taste at cask strenght is sweet and sherried, with a burnt finish and treacle in there too. When water is added, the character changes to become much more floral. The taste at reduced strenght is treacly

MORTLACH

12 years old

44 %
THE SECRET TREASURES
OF SCOTLAND
SINGLE CASK - SINGLE MALT
SPEYSIDE SCOTCH WHISKY
This product was originally
Distilled on 23th August 1989
Cask No. 3665
Especially selected by A. Rickards,
Master Blender
Numbered Bottles
720 Bottles
Imported by S. Fassbind AG, Oberath
The Moray Malt Whisky Ltd, Edinburgh.

MORTLACH

32 years old

50,1 %

SPECIAL RELEASES 2004
Fine Cask
Natural Cask Strength
Uniquely distilled
Distilled: 1971
Bottled: 2004
2160 numbered and
hand etched bottles
Limited Edition
Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown, Keith, Banffshire

A comples expression of a rich after-dinner malt from one of the most picturesque distilleries on Speyside, this tantalising natural cask-strength 1971 Mortlach has afreshness that belies its 32 years.

First of seven distilleries built here at the heart of Speyside, Mortlach was the original Dufftown malt.

It is uniquely distilled in a Byzantine configuration of three wash and three spirit stills to make it a firm elegant, long-finishing malt.

MORTLACH

LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY

21 years old

80o Proof / 45.7 G.L. 1
PURE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Distilled January 1957
Bottled May 1978
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son Ltd
Wm. Cadenhead, 18 Golden Square,
Aberdeen

Wein & Whisky

Eisenacher Strasse 64

10823 Berlin-Schoneberg

MORTLACH

13 years old

46 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
THE UN-CHILLFILTERED COLLECTION
VINTAGE   1991
Distilled on: 04.06.1991
Bottled on: 12.04.2005
Matured in:   Sherry Butt
Cask No:   4814
763Numbered Bottles
No Chill-Filtration
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

MORTLACH

50 years old

40 %

The Dram Taker's
Adepted from the Book of Kells,
circa 700 A.D.
Distilled on 31st December 1942
Matured in selected casks
at the distillery
and more recently
in our warehouses
in Elgin
The whisky was drawn from cask
on its 50th Anniversary,
Thursday 31st December 1992
in the City and Royal Burgh of Elgin
Numbered Bottles
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin,
Scotland Specialists
in Fine Malt Whiskies since 1895

This crystal decanter is hand made and sizes may vary resulting in different levels of whisky. When filled and sealed contains 70 cl Scotch Whisky as described on the label.

MORTLACH

1 9 9 0
18 years old

46 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT
Distilled: 12/09/90
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Cask no: 5962
Bottled: 28/11/08
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
The Ultimate Whisky Company, Amersfoort

MORTLACH

46 %
1 9 9 0
Matured for 21 years
Speyside Single Malt
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Distilled: 17/09/90
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Cask no: 6077
Bottled: 11/05/12
775 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chill Filtered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

MORTLACH
VINTAGE 2 0 0 3
10 years old

46 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Speyside Single Malt
Distilled: 09/06/03
Matured in a bourbon Barrel
Cask no: 800221
Bottled: 06/11/13
335 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

MORTLACH

Aged 26 years old

59.4 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date distilled: 24TH April 1986
Society Cask No: 76.94
Cask type: Refill Hogshead ex Bourbon
Outturn: Only one of 249 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
"Totally flavoursome"

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

The nose offers top notes of peach, watermelon, honeysuckle and geranium – underneath

that, coconut, pecans, vanilla, marmalade, leather books, pepper and toffee. The palate

is sweet and yummy – salted caramel, Turkish delight, crystallized ginger, cigars, jasmine

tea and walnut whips.

This rather dignified nose had top notes of peach, watermelon, white grapes and honey –

suckle – even soap flakes, underneath that we found coconut oil, marmalade, leather –

bound books, white pepper, toffee and sugared vanilla.

The palate was mouth – filling and creamy – impressions of salted caramel, chocolate,

candied peel, Turkish delight, crystallized ginger, cigars and jasmine tea – “totally fla –

voursome”someone said.

The reduced nose was sweet (Danish pastries) heady (geranium, pine needles, bath bombs)

and deep (pecans, Dentyne, dunnage warehouses, preserved ginger)

The palate was sweet and yummy – like walnut whips, with dandelion and burdock on

the finish.

From the oldest distillery in Dufftown

MORTLACH

Aged 18 years

56,5 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date Distilled: 19th jul 1995
Cask Type: Refill Butt / ex Sherry
Society Single Cask No: Code: 76.115
Outturn: One of Only 535 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
Glamping in a Yurt

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED

Waking up in a yurt and watching the sunrise over the sea, eating a slice of royal cho –

colate bisquit cake with maraschino cherries. Water adds the fragrance of sweetly

intoxicating blooming magnolia trees whilst you enjoy your first sip of coffee.

We are on a glamping holiday waking up early in the morning in a yurt, getting up from

0ur Japanese style futon, stepping out on to the redwood pine decking while watching

the sunrise over the sea and sand dunes.

The air is filled with smells of green grass wet with morning dew, freesias and clover.

Whilst enjoying the moment we eat a slice of Royal chocolate bisquit cake with cinnamon,

crystallized ginger and maraschino cherries.

With water elegant aromas of jasmine, magnolla and orchids are adding to the ozon filled

air warming up with the rising sun and in the taste, chocolate dipped ginger snaps and that

first sip of coffee that you’ve made just right. Perfection!

MORTLACH

Aged 25 years

48.4 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date Distilled: 5th October 1988
Cask Type: Refill Hogshead / ex Bourbon
Society Single Cask No: CODE 76.117
Outturn: One of only 248 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
A grand old lady in the piano shop

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

A perfumed leather handbag with truffles and cherry liqueur chocolates. Hot cross buns

and malt loaf. Taking tea, perched on a red velvet stool, in an old waxed jacket.

“Proper whisky “she declared and fed another log to the fire.

Our dame opened her perfumed leather handbag to find rum truffles and cherry liqueur

chocolates.chocoalte She was off to take tea with hot cross buns, chocolate orange

fudge gateau, and fairy cakes with glace cherries.

The setting was a piano shop and she sat perched on a red velvet stoll, in an old waxed

jacket.

A drop of water lifted the tea leaves. Mead, sultanas and warmed malt leaf with Millionaires shortbread.

With time some prosciutte and salted caramel emerged. “Proper whisky! “ she declared

As she sank back in a battered armchair and fed another log to the fire.

MORTLACH
VINTAGE 2 0 0 8
Matured for 6 years

46 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Speyside Single Malt
Distilled: 13/03/08
Matured in Bourbon Barrel
Cask no: 800011
Bottled:18/11/14
358 Numbered Bottles
Bottle no: 64
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky

Company.NL

MORTLACH

Aged 18 years

56.7 %
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
FROM A SINGLE CASK
Date Distilled 19TH July 1995
Cask Type: Refill Butt / ex Sherry
Outturn: One of only 586 Bottles
Society Single Cask No: 76.119
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
"On Christmas day in the morning!"

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

Christmas childhood memories of spiced orange, eggnog, sugar puffs and hot chocolate sprinkled with nutmeg. Still in pyjamas, the dipped into their stockings finding cran-

berries and Hubba Bubba gum. Homemade dolls house tingled with ras – el – hanout spiciness and pomanders.

The panel were whisked away to the excitement of Christmas morning as a child. Aromatic

spiced orange mingled with eggnog, sugar puffs and milky hot chocolate springled with

nutmeg. Still in their pyjamas, the panel dipped into their stockings to find cranberry, pomegranate and red currants with Hubba Bubba gum.

Water opened glugg infused with orange and mint, cola bottles. Fragrant lavender, saffron

and lemon thyme wafted from the glass. Fresh wood from a homemade dolls house gave

a grippy quality to the reduced taste which tingled with ras rl hanout spiciness. Lingering

of pomander completed the festivities.

Deep, rich & dried fruits.

MORTLACH

VINTAGE 1 9 8 4

30 years old

43 %
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
Distilled 1984
Bottled 2014
Proprietors: George Cowie & Son Ltd
Mortlach Distillery Dufftown
Matured & Bottled by
Gordon & Machail, Elgin

Rich Sherry influences with hints of beeswax polish and a lingering menthol note. The

palate has ornage and strawberry flavours, which are complemented by a lingering

milk chocolate edge..

Mortlach’s main claim to fame is that it was the first of seven distilleries to be built in and

around Dufftown.

The distillery operates a unique distillation process which distils the spirit two and a half times.

MORTLACH
VINTAGE 2 0 0 8
7 years old

46 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Speyside Single Malt
Distilled: 13/03/08
Matured in a Bourbon Barrel
Cask no: 800014
Bottled: 19/03/15
317 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

MORTLACH

15 years

43 %

DISTILLERY LABELS

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Proprietors George Cowie & Son Ltd

Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown

Matured & Bottled by Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

Tasting note:

Sherry aromas with malty undertones and a fresh citrus edge.

Sweet candied fruit flowers infuse with baked apple, raisin and

orange followed closely by charred oak.

MORTLACH

2 0 0 8

10 years

46 %

The Ultimate Single malt Scotch Whisky

Speyside Single Malt

Distilled: 13/03/08

Matured in a Bourbon Barrel

Cask no: 800095

Bottled: 02/05/18

303 Bottles

Bottle 123

Natural Colour

Non Chillfiltered

The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

MORTLACH

Matured for 10 years

46 %

The Ultimate Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Speyside Single Malt

Distilled: 13/03/08

Matured in a Bourbon Barrel

Cask no: 800094

Bottled: 04/05/18

292 Bottles

Bottle 64

Natural Colour

Non Chillfiltered

Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL.

MORTLACH

Aged 25 years

56.3 %

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Cask Strenght Collection

Distilled: 14/0501991

Matured in a Sherry Butt

Cask No: 4243

Bottled: 16/06/2016

594 Bottles

BottleNo: 187

Natural Colour

Casks Individually selected and bottled

by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co,

Pitlochry

GAME OF THRONES

WESTEROS

Six Kingdoms Mortlach

House Torgaryen Cardhu

House Stark Dalwhinnie

House Lannister                       Lagavulin
House Tully                             Singleton of Glendullan
House Tyrell                            Clynelish
House Baratheon                     Royal Lochnagar
House Greyjoy                        Talisker
The Night’s Watch                   Oban

Six Kingdoms

The three -eyed raven, a human who once lived among the Children of the Forest

beyond the Wall, has the power to see beyond the constraints of time to uncover

the past and present stories of Westeros and even reveal flashes of the future.

As those stories unfold to impart wisdom and knowledge, they are intertwined

and woven into the tapestry of the Six Kingdoms, all while beyond the horizon

and above the clouds the three-eyed raven watches with a thousand eyes and one.

Mortlach

Morlach, Dufftown’s first legal distillery has equally been influenced bij the people

in its history; George and Alexander Cowie were integral influences for both the

distillery and surrounding community, with George holding the esteemed title

of Provost and Alexander developing Mortlach’s signature method to distill the

liquid exactly 2.81 times – a complex process as unique as the three – eyed raven

itself.

Evocative of the past and crafted for the future, this fifteen year old Single Malt

Scotch Whisky has been finished in ex – bourbon cask, imparting a bold smooth

taste with notes of vanilla and spice befitting of those with a noble palate.

MORTLACH

Aged 15 years old

46 %

A Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From The Game of Thrones Collection

Finished in ex.bourbon casks

Limited Edition

Mortlach Distillery, Duftown,

Keth, Banffshire

MORTLACH

Age 27 years

53,6 %

SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

FROM A SINGLE CASK

Date Distilled 22ND Sep 1987

Cask Type: Refill Hogshead

Outturn: One of only 211 Bottles

Society Single Cask: Code: 7 6. 1 2 2

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,

The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh

Complex, smooth and elegant

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been

passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-

lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members

are selected, true to our motto: “TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED “.

A complex nose – layers of fruit (apple granny cake, pearcrumble, strawberry), buttered

malt loaf, tablet and ice – cream – then definite sub – strata of cinnamon spice, tea

chests, saunas and incense smoke.

We found the palate beautiful sweet and juicy – maple syrup, citrus, dark cherry, pralines,

nougat, sugared almonds and salted caramel; but long years in oak came through as

sandalwood oil, cask staves, anise and leather.

The reduced nose combined pear sorbet and sherbet lemon with crispy aromatic duck,

Moroccan spices and old – fashioned perfume.

The palate now had elegant aromatic fruits, smooth hazelnut and chocolate and light

Under – tows of pleasant woody spice.

MORTLACH
Dufftown, Banffshire. Licentiehouder: George Cowie & Son Ltd. Mortlach is onderdeel van Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. (S.M.D.) De malt divisie van United Distillers Ltd.Eigendom van Guinness.

Mortlach betekent 'grote vreugde'. Op deze plaats versloegKoning Malcolm de Tweede de Denen in 1010. Het was de eerste gebouwde distilleerderij te Dufftown en kreeg een licensie in 1823. Het proceswater werd betrokken van John's Well. Nu komt het water van bronnen in de Conval Hills en koelwater van de rivier Dullan.

De eerste licentienemer was James Findlater die het land huurde van de Earl of Macduff. Findlater had twee compagnons van 1822 - 1825: Donald Mclntosh enAlexander Gordon, beiden afkomstig van Elgin.
In 1831 stond Mortlach te koop en John Robertson,distillateur en looier kocht de distilleerderij voor E 270 .Mortlach was gesloten in 1832.

In 1833 kocht Arthur Thomas Gregory Mortlach. In 1837was Mortlach weer gesloten. In 1862 worden J. en J Grantvan Glen Grant te Aberlour de eigenaars van Mortlach. Zij verwijderden alle aperatuur en Mortlach was enige jaren in gebruik als kerkgebouw van de 'Free Church'.

John Gordon was de volgende eigenaar en begon er een bierbrouwerij om wat later ook te gaan distilleren. John Gordon had toen acht mensen in dienst en zijn whisky die een uitstekende naam had werd verkocht onder de naam The Real John Gordon. Mortlach was toen, net als zoveel andere distilleerderijen, een boerderij - distilleerderij, met 24 stuks rindvee en 150 varkens. Onder zijn leiding expandeerdeMortlach.

George Cowie (1816 - 1896) een landmeter, werd deelgenoot in 1853 en na Gordon's dood in 1867 de alleen eigenaar. Toen zijn éne zoon stierf werd Alexander Mitchell Cowie, dokter in de medicijnen
te Hong Kong zijn opvolger in 1895 en onder zijn leiding kwam Mortlach tot grote bloei. In 1896 werd een aftakking gemaakt van de spoorweg vanaf Dufftown tot aan de distilleerderij en er kwam electriciteit.
Mortlach was toen de grootste distilleerderij in de streek metin twee ketelhuizen zes ketels. In de lagerpakhuizen kon 5.200.000 liter whisky rijpen. Cowie's enige zoon stierf in de eerste wereldoorlog en Mortlach werd verkocht aan John Walker & Sons Ltd, in 1936. In tegenstelling tot de meeste andere distilleerderijen bleef Mortlach geopend gedurende de tweede wereldoorlog, uitgezondert 1944.

Mortlach werd van 1960 tot 1964 kompleet nieuw gebouwd.Sinds 1971 worden de zes ketels met stoom verhit, de kapaciteit is 1 miljoen liter spirit per jaar.

De zes ketels, geen van de ketels is gelijk,staan drie (wash-) en drie spiritstills) bij elkaar op rij.
In wash still nummer drie, en spirit still wordt normaal gedistilleerd. De voor- en naloop wordt gescheiden van de middeloop. Dat eindprodukt met een alcoholpercentage van 70 % dat wordt gescheiden in de wash stills nummer één en twee in twee delen, namelijk in staarten van 10 % en koppen van 35 %. Daarna worden de koppen uit de wash stills nummer één en twee voor de tweede keer gedistilleerd in spirit still nummer 2.
De staarten uit de wash stills nummer één en twee worden verzameld tot spirit still nummer één gevuld kan worden, hierin wordt dan drie maal gedistilleerd, respectievelijk met 15 %, 20 % en 70 %
Nu worden de voor- en naloop weer gescheiden van de middenloop en alle distillaten van de verschillende spirit ketels worden nu in één spirit ontvanger met elkaar gemengd en gaat de spirit in de vaten.

Tot de distilleerderij behoren drie boerderijen: Muirs , 27 hectare, Pitglassie, 60 hectare en Auchanhandoch 44 hectare groot.

Op 12 Mei 1997 wordt de fusie aangekondigd tussenGuinness en Grand Metropolitan en op 22 Oktober 1997wordt de nieuwe naam bekend gemaakt van de gefuseerden:Diageo.

Het water komt van de Conval heuvels:

van Dykehead en Catscraig.
De Mash tun is 12 ton.
Er staan zes Wash backs van elk 62000 liter.
Drie Wash stills hebben een inhoud van elk

7500 liter, één 17.500 liter.
Drie Spirit stills zijn allen verschillend, één

is groot 8000 liter, één 8500 liter en één 9500 liter.
De ketels worden met stoom verhit.
De capaciteit is 2.000.000 liter spirit per jaar.

De distilleerderij kat Blaijr is overleden in 2001.

2005 Kapaciteit: 2.800.000 liter spirit per jaar.

October 2005
Diageo has announced that its 2005 Annual Rare Malts Selection will be the last.
The collection will consist of four cask strenght single malts from closed distilleries; Glen Mhor 28 years old, Millburn 35 years old, Glendullan 26 years old and Linkwood 30 years old.
Dr. Nicholas Morgan, global malts marketing director commented: 'As the Special Releases are now well established, it makes less sence to continue selecting and promoting a parallel series of Rare Malts with his own separate indentity'. In future, all premium and rare whiskies will be made available in the annual Special Releases series.

There are now seven distilleries in Dufftown, within a radius of a mile. Mortlach was the only one until 1887. It was licensed, in 1823, under the Act of that year which reduced the duty on spirits from an exorbitant to a moderate level and thereby removed much of the incentive for illicit distilling. According to a local tradition, recorded in 1887, MortlachDistillery was built on the site of an illicit still that drew its water from a spring called Highland John's Well. Today process water comes from springs in the Conval Hills and cooling water from the River Dullan.The applicant for the licence, James Findlater, had obtained a lease of land from the Earl of Macduff. He had two partners in 1822-25:Donald Mcintosh and Alexander Gordon, both ofDufftown. The distillery was advertised for sale in 1831, when John Robertson, distiller and tanner, bought it for £270. The excise records, and presumably the distillery, were silent in 1832, but in the following year production was resumed by Arthur Thomas Gregory. It closed again in1837.

Some years thereafter, according to a description of the parish of Mortlach, published in the Elgin Courant for 21 February 1862: "Mortlach Distillery was . . . purchased byMessrs. J. & J. Grant of Glengrant, then distillers atAberlour. This firm took away the distillery apparatus, and the distillery was unoccupied for some years, the barley granary serving in the interval as a Free Church until one was erected in Dufftown. Mr. John Gordon then bought the distillery, and for some time conducted a brewery business in it. In a short time, however, he commenced distilling ..." Since then, the paper added ". . . the works have been greatly enlarged and improved . . . The supply of water is abundant and fine, and the whole machinery is driven by an overshot wheel, twelve feet in diameter. Eight men are employed at the distillery, and about forty quarters of barley are used weekly. The works are most compact and convenient, and the spirits produced are of excellent quality. They are mostly sold in Leithand Glasgow, but have attained some celebrity in the district under the name of 'The Real John Gordon'."

Residue from the barley used in the fermentation and distilling processes was not wasted. "In byres adjoining the distillery there are generally about 24 cattle kept and fattened upon burnt ale and draff: the ale being conveyed to them in pipes, so that nothing more is necessary thanhe distillery."
George Cowie (1816-96) became a partner in 1853. He was a land surveyor who had helped to survey the new railway lines projected in Banffshire, and subsequently, in the words of his obituarist, "found arduous but pleasant employment in the prosecution of large engineering enterprises in Scotlandand England". As sole proprietor of Mortlach after Gordon'sdeath in 1867, he found scope for his energy in expanding the business and as tenant of Pitglassie Farm, where he bred polled Aberdeen Angus cattle. He took an active part in public life as provost of Dufftown, chairman of the School Board of Mortlach, chairman of the Stephen Cottage Hospital and of other bodies, "having always been found on the side of real progress and improvement".

His son, Dr. Alexander Mitchell Cowie (1861-1940), graduated in medicine at Aberdeen University and secured a senior medical appointment in Hong Kong in 1890. Five years later, when his brother died, he came home to take over the family business. He became one of the leading Highlanddistillers, served on the town council, the county council and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Banffshire.

Major additions to the premises were made in 1897, when a siding was built from the railway, near Dufftown Station,right into the distillery. Electric lighting was installed in the following year. Mortlach then assumed the form described by a contributor to the Wine & Spirit Trade Record in 1923.He found "a veritablevillage" that dwarfed all neighbouring distilleries. It had two barley lofts, four "gigantic" malt floors, the largest mash-tun in the district, seven exceptionally large wash-backs, and two still-houses: "in one there are three old-fashioned stills, with a capacity of about 2,000 gallons (5,200 litres) each (and) in the other are three larger stills, installed in1897". Driving power for the malting and mashing processes was supplied by a new Marshall steam engine of 50 h. p. The substantially built warehouses were capable of storing two million gallons (5,0 litres).

Dr. Cowie, whose only son had been killed in the Great War, sold the business to John Walker & Sons Ltd., of Kilmarnock, in 1923. Mortlach has been operated as a unit of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd., a subsidiary of The Distillers Company Limited, since 1936. More fortunate than most malt whisky distilleries, which had to close down for the greater part of the second world war owing to restrictions on the use of barley, Mortlach stayed open except in 1944.

SMD embarked in the 1960s on a long-term programme of modernising and re-equipping its distilleries. The cramped lay-out of the site at Mortlach and the condition of the old buildings made it necessary to demolish and replan the premises from scratch. In the new distillery, completed in 1964, the mash-house and tun-room were combined in an open plan, and the six stills, previously hand-fired, were converted to a mechanical coal-stoking system. The stills were again converted, in 1971, to internal heating by steam.

The site of the complex covers 6 acres (2.4 hectares). SMDowns 12 houses for occupation by employees at the distillery. The company also owns the adjoining Pitglassie Estate which comprises three farms: Muirs (67 acres or 27 hectares),Pitglassie (150 acres or 60 hectares) and Auchanhandoch (109 acres or 44 hectares). The main products of all three farms are beef cattle and lambs.
The licensed distillers are George Cowie & Son Ltd.,Kilmarnock. They blend and bottle John Barr Scotch Whisky and bottle Mortlach as a single malt whisky.

HEN HARRIER (Circus cyaneus)
At the beginning of this century persecution by keepers meant that the Hen Harrier was a rare sight, restricted to theOrkneys and Outer Hebrides. Since changes in the wildlife law has given them protection they have increased in numbers and spread their range rapidly.

Males are grey with a white rump patch and dark wing tips, females are brown with streaked underparts. They bredd on open moorland, nesting on the ground. During breeding the male does most of the hunting bringing small birds close to the nest. The female then rises and takes the food from her mate in the air, turning upside down to do so.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a charitable organisation whose aims are to promote the concervation of the wildlife ofScotland. A donation will made to the Trust for every bottle sold.
Uitgebracht in 1983.

The World's oldest whisky:
Distilled on the 15th October 1938.

bottled at cask strength 46.1 %. 70 years old
Released in the "Generations" range
Matured in a ex - sherry butt from

Cardinal de Salis, Royal Sherry Co, Sherez
Bottled on 15th October 2008 and presented

in a tear - shaped crystal decanter, hand
blown and nestled in a silver base, framed

in a handmadeBrazilian Rosewood box
Bottled: 54 Decanters each 10.000 Pounds,

and 162 Decanters á 20 cl each 2500 Pounds

April 2013
Diageo has named Teaninich near Alness as the location for its plans to build a new 50 million pound new malt whisky distillery and will be adjacent the existing Teaninich distillery
but will have its own name and indentity and will have the capacity to produce 13 million litres of spirit per annum from its 16 stills.

Diageo also invest 12 million pound in expanding theTeaninich distillery to almost doubless capacity. The site will also feature a bio - energy plant. The work will begin in 2014.

Diageo also will invest in Mortlach distillery in building a new still house and an other investment will be at Glendullan distillery to process co products in an anaerobic digestion process,
producing bio - gas which will be used to power the Glendullan distillery.

There are also expansion and upgrade developments for more then 40 million pound in Linkwood, Mannochmore, Glendullan, Dailuaine, Benrinnes, Inchgower, Cragganmore, Glen Elgin, Glen Ord
and in a new bio - energie plants in Glenlossie and Dailuaine. Also new warehouse are build at Cluny near Kirkcaldy. And at Talisker a new visitor centre is build for a 1 million pound.

Water: Conval Hills:

Dykehead & Catscraig
Mash tun: 1 x 12 tonnes
Washbacks: 6 x 62000 litres
3 wash stills: 2 x 7500 litres,

1 x 17.500 litres
3 spirit stills: 1 x 8000 litres,

1 x 8500 litres, 1 x 9500 litres
Output: 2.000.000 litres

Diageo to reinvent Mortlach with £30m investment
Scotland's biggest whisky maker has this evening unveiled plans to breath fresh life into one of Speyside's oldest distilleries by launching a single malt made at Mortlach, described as "the beast of Dufftown".
Diageo - which owns blended brands including Bell's, J&B and Johnnie Walker - will pump nearly £30 million into building a second still house at Mortlach to replicate the complex shape of distillery's stills.
Up until now, only a few bottles of Mortlach single malt have been released to connoisseurs, with the vast majority of production going towards blends.

Next summer, four versions of the Scotch - rare old, special strength, 18-year-old and 25-year-old - will be sold to the duty-free and luxury markets.
The FTSE 100 group - which also makes Gordon's gin, Guinness stout and Smirnoff vodka - said that the investment would form part of the £1 billion expansion plan unveiled last year.
The company revealed in April that its investment programme would include expansion on Speyside and has now unveiled details of the scheme.

Diageo said: "Mortlach has been described by whisky connoisseurs as 'The Beast of Dufftown', for its rich and powerful flavours, produced in an astonishingly complicated and unique distillation process.
"For decades, Mortlach's output has been largely captured by blenders to add its unique notes to complex blended Scotchwhiskies - though in recent times, a very limited number of bottles of Mortlach single malt whisky have been available, and sold rapidly to connoisseurs in the know.

"But now for the first time, and in response to suggestions over the years that such a rewarding single malt whisky deserved a wider market, it will be available in global markets in four expressions aimed at global travel and the luxury and connoisseur segment."

Diageo to release The Beast
December, 2013

Diageo has told the trade it will rerelease Mortlach single malt scotch next year, a dram dubbed "The Beast of Dufftown".
In recent years the Speyside distillery's heavy, dark whisky was reserved for blending and has only been made available in very limited numbers as a single malt, but the Dufftown site will now see capacity doubled from 3.8m to 7.6m litres in a project costing £18m.

From mid-2014 the distillery will be renewed and expanded, while the re-branded single-malt will be made available in global markets.
Mortlach single malt will be aimed at global travel retail and the luxury and connoisseur segments and will be released in four expressions: Rare Old, Special Strength, 18 YO and 25 YO.
Diageo will continue to use the distillery's output for its blended whiskies.
Details of distribution and price will be disclosed in February2014.

Rare Old (43% abv) will have an "affordable luxury price",Nick Morgan, head of whiskies outreach at Diageo, toldDrinks International, and has been aged in a combination of refilled and first fill American and European oak.

Special Strength (49% abv) is a higher proof version ofRare Old, the 18YO (43.4% abv) has been aged in first fill and refill European and American oak, while the 25YO (43.4% abv) was matured in American refill casks but has the character of European oak, said Morgan.

According to Diageo, Mortlach is produced by an "astonishingly complicated and unique distillation process", which has been explained as '2.81 distilled', as most but not all of the whisky is distilled three times.
Dave Broom, said of Mortlach single malt in his The World Atlas of Whisky (2010): "At its best in European oak - it has the muscle to cope - Mortlach has become a cult single malt, but is unlikely ever to be a front-line player because its individuality is too highly prized by blenders.
"This throwback to the old days, days before Dufftown even existed, is at the foundation of many famous blends. It is the dark reduction of whisky to some primal essence."

Diageo has released details and images of Mortlach, the"reborn" single malt that is dubbed "the beast of Dufftown" and which will be launched this summer.
The guide price for Mortlach Rare Old is £55, Mortlach 18 year old is £180, and Mortlach 25 year old is £600. In global travel retail, Special Strength will be £75.
The group says that limited supply - at least until expansion ofMortlach's distillery is complete - means the bottles will be50cl. For legal reasons, they will be 75cl in the US.
The range will first be available in London and Berlin in June, and in a small number of global travel retail channels.
They will then roll out in restricted volumes to "the cosmopolitan cities of Asia-Pacific in August (for exampleTaipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne) and at the same time to New York, Chicagoand San Francisco in the United States."

Diageo added: "To build more stocks of Mortlach for the years ahead, plans are progressing for the expansion of Mortlach distillery with all the strong purpose, ingenuity and attention to detail of the Cowies, doubling the distillery's capacity.
Referring to the bottle, Diageo said the design was a tribute to the distillery's ex-owner Scottish civil engineer George Cowie, and son Dr Alexander Cowie.
A statement said: "In tribute to these distinguished pioneers, the design style of the new packaging is rooted in an engineered world, reminiscent of beautiful man-made structures, whilst also elegant, luxurious and contemporary."

We, the Tasting Panel, verify that the Scotch Malt Whisky inside this bottle has been
passed under some of the most scrupulous noses in the world and approved for re-
lease as a Society bottling.

Only single cask whiskies that promise to intrigue, entertain and delight our members
are selected, true to our motto: "TO LEAVE NO NOSE UPTURNED

The wash (from clear wort and long fermentation) is split between three wash stills; No. 3 wash still and No.3 spirit still work in tandem and as per normal.

The low wines from wash stills No. 1 and 2 is, however, split into two parts. The first 80% of the run is collected as the charge for spirit still No. 2. The remaining 20% (called weak feints) forms the charge for spirit still No.1 otherwise known as ‘The Wee Witchie’. This distils the weak feints three times with only the heart of the final run being collected. It all adds up to the new make spirit having been distilled 2.81 times.

In addition to this, all the stills are run relatively speedily with no air rests to rejuvenate the copper and all lyne arms running into cold worm tubs. The result of this complex regime in a copper-starved environment is a building up of sulphur and ‘meatiness’ in the new make spirit, with the ‘dud runs’ on the Wee Witchie providing an extra meaty boost. Although it is aged in a mix of casks, Mortlach’s weight makes it an ideal partner with ex-Sherry casks.

While other meaty spirits are made [most notably Benrinnesand Dailuaine] none have Mortlach’s weight, meaning that this alt bottlings bar the occasional independent bottlings (most notably with Gordon & MacPhail) and small batches of a 16-year-old in Diageo’s Flora & Fauna range. Mortlach seemed destined to remain a cult malt.

In 2014, however, that changed with the launch of a four-strong range: Rare Old, Special Strength, (both no-age-statement), 18-year-old, and 25-year-old.

Mortlach was the name of the original village which sprang up around the abbey of the name, founded by Saint Moluag in the 7th century. With the building of Dufftown in 1817 the old name fell in abeyance – apart from the distillery.

The distillery was the first to be licensed within Dufftown, being founded by James Findlater, Donald Mackintosh and Alex Gordon in 1823. It passed briefly into the hands of the Grant brothers of Glen Grant fame who gutted the buildings and used the equipment for their distillery in Rothes.

It was George Cowie and his son Alexander who, from the 1850s on, recommenced whisky production and steered Mortlach to a pre-eminent position as a blending malt.

Although no-one is sure where the unique distillation regime originated, its adherence to richness and weight singles Mortlach out as one of the distilleries with a robust belief in the older ways of making whisky.

It remained in the Cowie’s hands until 1923 when it became part of John Walker & Sons and from there via DCL into Diageo.

In 2014, it was announced that a mirror image of the existing distillery would be built which, when completed, will double total capacity.

1823

James Findlater, Donald Mackintosh

and Alex Gordon found Mortlach

1824

Findlater steps back from the project,

leaving the distillery toGordon and

Mackintosh

1831

John Robertson purchases

Mortlach for £270, who then

sells is to A&T Gregory the

following year

1837

Grant brothers, James and

John, become part-owners and

got the distillery

1853

George Cowie becomes part owner,

and takes over sole operation when

John Alexander Gordon dies in

1867

1895

Cowie's son, Alexander, joins the

company and two years later extends

Mortlach's stills from three to six

1923

John Walker & Sons purchase

the distillery from the Cowies

1925

The group becomes part of

Distillers Company Limited

1968

Mortlach halts use of its 2 floor

maltings

2014

Four new bottlings are released

as Diageo announces plans to

extend the distillery

2018

A new range is presented,

12 year old Wee Witchie,

16 year old Distiller's Dram

and 20 year old Cowie's Blue

Seal

2019

The oldest official Mortlach

bottling ever, 47 years released,

and a 26 years old in the Special

Releases Series

2020

Capacity: 3.800.000 Ltrs

Output: 2.600.000 Ltrs

A 25 years old Prima & Ultima is released

a 21 years old Rare by Nature is released

2021

A 13 years old Prima & Ultima is released

and a 21 years old Rare by Nature

2022

Lure of the Blood Moon 57,8 %

is released as a Legends Untold

and also the Midnight Malt

Mortlach sells 500.000 Bottles a year

CONDENSER TYPE i

Worm tub

FERMENTATION TIME i

Minimum 53hrs - 100 hrs

FILLING STRENGTH i

63.5%

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam

MALT SPECIFICATION i

Non peated

MALT SUPPLIER i

Mainly in house

MASH TUN TYPE i

Lauter

NEW-MAKE PHENOL LEVEL i

Non peaty

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

71-72%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

9,000

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Neck ball

STILLS i

6 (1 intermediate)

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

10,300

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Neck ball

WASHBACK TYPE i

Wood

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Conval Hills Spring

WORT CLARITY i

Clear

YEAST TYPE i

Creamed

Diageo

1997 - present

United Distillers

1986 - 1997

Distillers Company Limited

1925 - 1986

John Walker & Sons

1923 - 1925

George Cowie & Son

1867 - 1923

John Gordon and George Cowie

1853 - 1867

John Gordon

1842 - 1853

J&J Grant

1837 - 1842

A&T Gregory

1832 - 1837

John Robertson

1831 - 1832

Donald Mackintosh and Alex Gordon

1824 - 1831

James Findlater, Donald Mackintosh and Alex Gordon

1823 - 1824

PRE-WAR MORTLACH COULD FETCH £20,000

November 2017

A 60-year-old bottle of Mortlach single malt, distilled in1938 and bottled in 1999, could fetch up to £20,000 when it is auctioned by Sotheby’s next week.

Mortlach 1938 60-year-old

Pre-war bottling: This Mortlach 60-year-old was distilled on Speyside in 1938

Matured and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, it is bottle number 19 out of a run of 100, packaged in an etched glass decanter with an embossed wax seal over cork, contained in a wood, copper and brass presentation casket.

Also included is an introductory leaflet, and a separate drawer containing a 5cl miniature of the whisky, a glass stopper, a brass padlock and keys, and a pair of lint-free gloves.

The bottle of Mortlach 60-year-old, with a pre-sale estimate of £15,000-20,000, will be sold by Sotheby’s in London next Wednesday (15 November), as part of its Finest and Rarest Wines sale.

The sale also features the cellar of the estate of Antal Post de Bekessy, grandson of American socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, including a ‘staggering’ collection of wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Rousseau and Méo-Camuzet.

MORTLACH RELAUNCHES MALTS AFTER BACKLASH

July 2018

Diageo is relaunching its Mortlach range of single malts, and reintroducing a 16-year-old expression, after admitting its previous range ‘disappointed’ whisky fans.

New Mortlach single malt range

Malt makeover: Mortlach’s new range features completely new liquid and revised prices

The Scotch producer had introduced a high-end range of no-age-statement malts in 50cl bottles for its Speysidedistillery in 2014, withdrawing the 16-year-old expression that existed as part of Diageo’s Flora and Faunarange.

The range drew criticism from whisky fans who ‘weren’t happy about the smaller bottle sizes, and the prices that went with those bottle sizes as well’.

Now Diageo has reimagined its Mortlach offering, discontinuing the previous range and introducing four new expressions, including a 16-year-old.

Rich Walker, global head of whisky marketing at Diageo, said: ‘When we launched Mortlach in 2014 we were looking to create a new category. However, we heard from many people we respect and admire that when it came to price and pack we got it wrong.

‘Whilst every whisky we have launched from Mortlachhas always been welcomed and indeed won awards, it was felt that we needed to listen and review our position.’

Mortlach’s previous range was comprised of Rare Old(£55), Mortlach 18 Year Old (£180), Mortlach 25 Year Old (£600) and the travel retail exclusive Special Strength (£75).

The ornate bottles were inspired by the Victorian industrial era in tribute to George Cowie, a Scottishcivil engineer who built Mortlach as the first distillery in Dufftown in 1823.

‘We have now rethought the range and this is our response to that feedback,’ Walker added. ‘We are confident that this outstanding new liquid which is bold in flavour and will deliver success for the brand moving forwards.’

The new range is comprised of three core range expressions – a 12-, 16- and 20-year-old release – as well as a 14-year-old which will be a travel retail exclusive. All four expressions have been bottled at 43.4% abv – the original bottling strength of Mortlach in the early 1900s – and presented in the same bottle as Mortlach Rare Old.

Mortlach ‘Wee Witchie’ 12 Year Old is a ‘meaty, sulphury’ expression matured in American and European oak ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks to ‘showcase Mortlach’s distillery character’.

Described as having notes of chocolate, marmalade and tobacco, it will be available for £50 for a 70cl bottle.

Mortlach ‘Distiller’s Dram’ 16 Year Old has been matured in a mixture of refill and first-fill American and European oak Sherry casks, and is described as ‘more balanced than the Flora and Fauna 16 Year Old’. The expression will be available for around £80 for a 70cl bottle.

Mortlach ‘Cowie’s Blue Seal’ 20 Year Old is named after one of the original bottlings of Mortlach dating back to 1909, which was also the inspiration for the new range’s design.

Matured exclusively in American oak ex-Sherry casks, with a percentage of refill wood, the expression has waxy notes of overripe fruit, wood spice and oak. The expression will be available for £200 for a 70cl bottle.

Finally, Mortlach Alexander’s Way 14 Year Old, named after former distillery owner Alexander Cowie, will be released as a global travel retail exclusive.

Unusually unique: The ‘Beast of Dufftown’ distils its spirit 2.81 times, creating a waxy, meaty style of whisky

Nick Morgan, head of whisky outreach at Diageo, said: ‘Mortlach of course is known as the Beast of Dufftown – big bold uncompromising whisky, totally atypical of that Speyside style of apples and pears.’

Mortlach distillery is unique in that it distils its spirit 2.81 times, a complicated process known as ‘The Way’.

Mark Brunton, Mortlach distillery manager, added: ‘We worked with our colleagues in maturation to create a diverse range with each at its heart still reflecting the bold distillery flavour.

‘The 16-year-old is a classic Mortlach expression, while the 12-year-old offers a strong distillery character through its use of refill casks. The 20-year-old offers a balance of character and distillery character with active wood.’

The new range will be released across Europe, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and the US this autumn.

THE MORTLACH CONUNDRUM

Some people say Mortlach is distilled 2.7 times, but 2.81 is the official figure.

How does it work? There’s an account on the Mortlachwebsite, but it only takes you so far. Far better is the dissection of the process in this site’s redoubtable Whiskipedia reference resource or that contained in the Chief Engineer’s The World Atlas of Whisky – but, before you click away or rush to your nearest bookshop, let me try to explain.

Mortlach has six stills of various shapes and sizes – it’s as if the distillery owner picked up this bizarre collection at a car boot sale or via late-night bids on eBay.

Two out of the six operate conventionally: one is a wash still, carrying out the first distillation, and the second is the spirit still, carrying out the second distillation. This pair of stills creates one spirit stream.

Four stills left: two of these are wash stills, two are spirit stills. The wash stills carry out the first distillation for our second and third spirit streams.

What they produce is then split between the remaining two spirit stills: 80% of it goes into one spirit still, making our second spirit stream. Meanwhile, the remaining, rather weak 20% goes into the last still – a tiny contraption known as the ‘Wee Witchie’.

This 20% is distilled in the Wee Witchie three times, and the middle cut taken after the third distillation, creating our third spirit stream.

Combine these three spirit streams (all condensed using worm tubs, by the way) and you have a supremely meaty, sulphurous spirit popularly known as the ‘Beast of Dufftown’.

It’s challenging, it’s old school (aptly, as Mortlach is Dufftown’s oldest distillery) and it’s prized for its huge potential longevity, particularly in European oak.

Honest mistake: Diageo relaunched its Mortlach range after admitting its previous series failed to hit the mark with fans.

The set up of the stillroom and the unique process all comes back to the vision of Fr. Alexander Cowie, the son of distillery owner George Cowie, who returned from working in Hong Kong

and wanted to create a bold whisky with ots of strong flavours. In 1896 he increased the numer of stills from four to six, all of them with different shapes and sizes, and introduced Mortlach's unique 2.81 distillation process. A bit like having three distilleries in one building and pretty mind - blowing how it was dreamt up.

The 2.81 process involves splitting the wash or low wines by 80 % and 20 % between spirit stills one and two. The 20 % made up of weak feints, goes into spirit still number one, named

Wee Witchie. The Wee Witchie distills the weak feints 3 times, but only produces spirit from the final run. The weaker charges, known as "dud runs" are distilled off without removing

spirit from them, and so help to build up the strenght for the spirit charge.

Although the Wee Witchie is the smallest still, 7800 litres, its role is fundamental to Mortlach's muscular meaty flavours.

The Wee Witchie still was named so by former distillery manager John Winton, who later went on to become a distillery inspector and during a site visit he said Äye that's the Wee

Witchie in the corner, you need to have one run of spirit from the No.one spirit still in every filling at Mortlach to give the whisky its character.

Each still has iys own worm tub sitting outside the distillery and also here no two are the same shape or size.

Worm tubes are not as efficient as shell and tube condensors, but are very important in defining the whisky's character, it's determinded by using a lot of cold water that condenses

the vapour quickly and reduces the amount of copper contact so giving the whisky a more meaty, sulphury note.

MORTLACH UNVEILS 47 YEAR OLD FOR £10,000

March 2019

Speyside distillery Mortlach is launching its oldest single malt whisky to date, a 47-year-old expression priced at £10,000 a bottle.

Mortlach 47 Year Old whisky

Singing Stills: Mortlach 47 Year Old is the first expression in the distillery’s new series

Only 94 bottles of Mortlach 47 Year Old will be released on 9 April, through a global online registration exclusively with wine and spirits merchant Justerini & Brooks, for £10,000 each in the UK.

Whisky enthusiasts can also register for one of 47 places to sample the expression at tasting experiences in London and Singapore on the eve of the opening of the global registration (8 April) through the Exceptional Whisky website.

Mortlach 47 Year Old was matured in one of three refill American oak hogsheads – the final 1971 casks from the distillery – before being bottled at 46.8% abv.

Described as containing ‘orchard and tropical fruits’ on the nose and ‘soft, ripe fruits with an intriguing combination of sweet and sour notes’ on the palate, the release marks the first expression in Mortlach’s Singing Stills series, a collection of ‘rare’ single cask expressions.

The collection is named after Mortlach’s copper stills, which use a highly complicated 2.81 distillation process and generate a ‘whimsical’ hum when in use.

Master blender Dr Craig Wilson said: ‘Mortlach stands alone and is referred to as “The Beast of Dufftown” for its uncompromising flavour profile, so unusual for Speyside whiskies.

‘This bottling is exquisite for its age and is unmistakably Mortlach, with its intensely complex character and well-balanced flavour profile.’

One bottle of Mortlach 47 Year Old (bottle number 8) will also be auctioned at a private event by Bonhams in Singapore on 25 March.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the event’s private charity partner, Daughters of Tomorrow, which provides support and skills education for underprivileged women to earn a living for themselves and their families.

Those interested in the ballot can register their details on the Justerini & Brooks website between 9-23 April.

Registration for the tasting experience opens between 19-31 March, with all spaces allocated by 1 April.