Mortlach
Fact Sheet
Founded: 1823
Current owner: Diageo
Stills: 3 wash, 3 spirit
Capacity: 2.9 million litres per year
Location: Dufftown, Banffshire
Website: None
Notable Facts: Mortlach is one of the Diageo malts that are only available as independent bottlings. Most of the production is used for blends although it has a high reputation as a single malt because of its unique “beefy” character.
Bottlings
May 14, 2012
Some quite unusual flavours in this malt that was probably from a weak cask and saved by the finish. I like it, but it is a rather special dram. – Rating: 85/100
April 15, 2012
Quite a nice dram with regard to the flavours, but the wood is beginning to take over. – Rating: 83/100
November 27, 2011
Very fast cask maturation here, it does not matter at all that the whisky is ‘only’ 8 years old. It is rich and creamy with a nice slightly dry fruitiness. – Rating: 86/100
September 30, 2011
A very nice Mortlach, not a sherry monster for a change, but with a cloying syrupy mouthfeel that is simply delicious. – Rating: 87/100
September 25, 2011
As could be expected, this young bourbon cask Mortlach is not really typical, but it is a very nice malt anyway. A single digit age is not a problem at all here.
– Rating: 83/100
September 17, 2011
The palate does not quite keep up the promise of the nose. But this still is a very decent malt, albeit not too typical for this distillery – Rating: 83/100
May 22, 2011
If you like Mortlach for its trademark meaty style, you might be disappointed with this bottle because it has an entirely different character. It is very dry and spicy without many other flavours to balance it out. – Rating: 73/100
May 16, 2011
The nose is almost disappointing, but the excellent palate delivers a strong reconciliation. A very rich and beefy Mortlach that becomes very cloudy diluted to around 40% – Rating: 86/100
February 7, 2011
This malt was aged in a refill cask that didn’t have much strength anymore to contribute to the flavour. No real flaws but rather unimpressive. – Rating: 76/100
January 8, 2011
The semi-official Mortlach botting has a fantastic old-fashioned sherry nose. On the palate it displays prominent tannins but the richness of other flavours keeps it in balance. Not quite as “meaty” as other expressions – Rating: 86/100
October 3, 2010
Very unusually for a Mortlach, this malt is totally lacking the signature beefiness. It’s richly flavoured and full-bodied , though, making it a nice fruity Speyside dram like many others. – Rating: 83/100
December 27, 2009
The palate is very dense in a way that I find it very hard to identify distinctive notes. This means it is a very typical and very fine Mortlach, but not quite as complex as others. – Score: 87/100
October 15, 2009
This is a typical Mortlach. If you like the “oxtail soup” style, then this one is a must. – Score: 91/100
Mentioned in These Articles
May 17, 2012
A summary of the Scotch single malt blind tasting competition
June 16, 2011
Here is the basic knowledge you need to find your way around in the world of Scotch whisky, divided into ten categories.
June 13, 2011
Yes, I really mean it!
May 21, 2011
After the Spirit of Speyside Festival my travels led me to the eastern part of the Speyside region. I had made an appointment for a visit at Knockdhu distillery where anCnoc whisky is produced.
May 18, 2011
A few weeks ago, news of the fungus-infested Clackmannanshire village of Tullibody swept Scotland and the whisky scene. But a recent Wired article sheds new light on this issue.
May 17, 2011
Dufftown has the reputation of being “built on seven stills”. One of those is aptly named “Dufftown”, and just like its neighbour Mortlach it is only open to the public for the Spirit of Speyside Festival.
May 16, 2011
A report of a Walk up Ben Rinnes and a whisky tasting at Benrines distillery with Dave Broom
May 15, 2011
Have you ever noticed a coloured residue in your empty glass the next day? Sometimes, especially with cask strength whisky, there can be a rather thick layer of goo at the bottom of the glass. Now what could this be?
May 13, 2011
Glenfiddich is one of the biggest Scottish distilleries and it was the first one that actively marketed single malt whisky on a global basis. I decided it would be foolish not to pop in and have a look around.
May 12, 2011
Some distilleries are not normally open for visitors. Only for the Spirit of Speyside Festival Diageo opens the doors to Mortlach.
February 4, 2011
Just a mixed bag of assorted whisky wierdness I came across.
January 23, 2011
For a whisky blogger these days there are few things as convenient as joining the Diageo bashing game. But it often gets forgotten that many of their distilleries make a bloody good whisky!
January 15, 2011
After my journey to Islay in May 2010 I thought it would be only consequent to also visit the other whisky focal point in Scotland, Speyside. The Spring Festival 2010 is taking place from 28th April to 2nd May.
November 25, 2010
Time to take on another hot topic which seems to be the worst nightmare of many maltheads – sulphur. But there is also a small minority who appreciate those special aromas.
October 17, 2010
End of September 2010 saw a major public relations effort by Scotch market leader Diageo to convince journalists and bloggers of the qualities of their new Roseisle distillery in Elgin on Speyside.
April 6, 2010
For a change, this is not a recipe with whisky, but a recipe for whisky. My recent acqusition of a bottle of the Cameronbridge 29yo single grain gave birth to the idea of whipping together a blend of the finest whiskies my shelf has to offer.
March 12, 2010
Regular readers will know that I usually don’t comment on each an every new whisky bottle on the market. But with the newly released Mortlach 70yo by Gordon & MacPhail I will make an exception for three reasons.
December 2, 2009
Right in time for Christmas, I have prepared a three course dinner where whisky plays an important role as an ingredient. For each course I selected a single malt whisky that matches the character of the dish as well as possible.
The first course will be a classic oxtail soup.
September 3, 2009
It is now an open secret that whisky industry giant Diageo will launch a new series called “Manager’s Choice” on September 4. News has been leaking for about a week, so Diageo has decided to make it official now.
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