🥃 Mortlach

Mortlach is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery and brand in Dufftown, in Speyside. It was founded in 1823 and became the first licensed distillery in the town. Its feature is the “2.81 distillations” made on six stills of different shapes, and it is owned by Diageo. The whisky is nicknamed the “Beast of Dufftown” for its rich flavour.

History. According to Difford’s Guide, the distillery was founded by James Findlater, and it was built and developed by engineer George Cowie and his son Alexander. George became a partner in 1852 and sole owner in 1867. After his death in 1896 Alexander returned from Hong Kong and introduced the “2.81 distilled” process. In 1923 the distillery was bought by John Walker & Sons, later part of the Distillers Company, a predecessor of Diageo.

How it is made. There are six stills of different sizes: three for the first distillation and three for the second. Not all of them run in the usual way: according to descriptions, the smallest one, nicknamed Wee Witchie, distils the heaviest part of the first cut a third time, so the average comes to 2.81 distillations. Difford’s Guide gives a capacity of 3.7 million litres a year; expansion plans were announced in 2013.

Range. The core expressions are the 12 Year Old Wee Witchie, the 16 Year Old Distiller's Dram and the 20 Year Old Cowie's Blue Seal; the line-up changes over time.

Why this matters to you. Mortlach is an important component of Johnnie Walker blends, and the brand itself is known for its rich, “meaty” style. Because of its unusual distillation, it is not directly compared with lighter Speyside whiskies. The age on the label is that of the youngest whisky in the bottle. WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.