Not known as the Beast of Dufftown for nothing, Mortlach doesn’t always grab headlines, but when it does, it’s for its deep, dark range of flavours
Mortlach is one of Diageo’s nearly 30 Scottish whisky distilleries. The first legal distillery in Dufftown, it maintains its hard-won Beast of Dufftown moniker. It’s an important engine in the Diageo lineup, producing malt for the Johnnie Walker labels.
Around a decade ago, Diageo also started marketing a range of luxury Mortlach brands with three bottles in the permanent collection ( a 12-, 16- and 20-year-old) as well as a series of limited editions and once-off bottlings. Partnerships with independent bottlers and celebrity tie-ins followed – its Game of Thrones bottling suited the dark personality of the brand perfectly.
Today, it is an established, if somewhat quiet, brand that fans love for its dynamic and well-matured releases. Here are some bottles from our shelves to help you get to know the brand better:
Mortlach Connoisseurs Choice 1988
This is a superb vintage at a price point that simply cannot be beaten. It is virtually impossible to find a 33-year-old single malt at anything close to this and that is down to the foresight and planning of George Urquhart at Gordon and MacPhail.
This independent bottler created the Connoisseurs Choice series to celebrate Scottish distilling, making superior bottlings available to all. Since it began in 1968, some 2000 single malts have been bottled from over 100 distilleries in Gordon & MacPhail’s pursuit of excellence.
This Mortlach bottling stands out as a headline release from the Dufftown distillery. Only 213 bottles exist, each of which was distilled in November 1988 and bottled more than three decades later in November 2021. Matured in refill American hogsheads, it was filled at 53.89% cask strength.
You can expect lots of summer fruit and honeycomb on the nose with pink sherbet, lime, vanilla and poached pear all wrapped up in a peppery spice with a tasty, warm and medium-length finish. A whisky to savour.
Mortlach Cowie’s Blue Seal 20
This fine 20-year-old single malt from the Beast of Dufftown is one of a number of whiskies created to honour its former owner, Alexander Cowie, who returned from Asia to take over the Mortlach distillery from his father in 1896. Under his guidance, the distillery expanded, connected with the rest of Scotland by rail, was introduced to electricity and created the 2.81 times distillation that gives this great distillery its edge. He certainly left his mark.
Bottled at 43.4%, this 2018 bottling received an all-Sherry maturation for its 20 years, creating a dense and complex whisky that was very well received. Part of a series that included 12-, 14- and 16-year-old single malts, it’s eminently collectable. (The 14-year-old was a travel exclusive, so closing the circle on collecting this series won’t be a straightforward purchase.)
On the nose of the Cowie’s Blue Seal, you can expect plenty of wood, leather and tobacco to match its 20 years in cask. The palate is stuffed with citrus, spice and dark sweet fruits, while the long finish comes wrapped in raisins, menthol, yet darker spice and layered with ginger.
Mortlach Special Releases 2022
This is a non-age statement release, but that doesn’t mean it shirks on flavour or depth. It’s been triple-casked in red muscat wine barrels, tawny port and virgin oak so you can expect lots of dark fruit and sweet, syrupy notes on the palate.
As a Special Releases distillery bottling, it’s been chosen to stand out and it’s a great pour for that. Bottled at 57.8%, this entry in the 2022 edition of the annual Diageo series sets out to capture the distillery’s personality while stepping away from its traditional sherry maturation.
This could be a risk, but its makers wanted to take all that Mortlach meatiness and see how well it wrapped itself in robust red wine and port layers.
On the nose you’ll find lots of spice and red wine conjuring the meaty DNA of Mortlach. The palate delivers a creamy mouthfeel with deep red fruit notes, ginger and spice with plenty of wine notes. The finish is relatively long for a non-age statement bottling with powerful spice and pepper, enriching a dry and deep taste.
Recent Posts
Recent Posts
Have a content request? Ask us in the comments below!
