Mortlach 27 Year Old

Today, the distillery’s own bottlings carry a small blue sticker on the front of the bottle. ‘Inspired by the illustrious original,’ it states, ‘that was made for a fortunate few'. Truly. The capacity in the earliest days of production amounted to 50 gallons a week, which were sold direct from the still in small casks to the even smaller number of local gentry who could afford the princely sum of 9 shillings a gallon.

Post-1823’s Excise Act, an illicit still in Dufftown transformed Mortlach into the region’s first legal distillery. By the late 19th century, under George Cowie and engineer Charles Doig, it underwent expansion, doubling production and connecting directly to Dufftown via railway. William Grant, an employee, later founded Glenfiddich.

Soon, Mortlach reached international markets like the US, India, and China. Significant innovations came when George’s son, Dr. Alexander, joined. An engineer, he developed a unique 2.81 distillation process with distinctive stills. Paired with wooden worm-tub condensers, this birthed a robust whisky known as the “Beast of Dufftown”, excelling in prolonged maturation, notably in sherry casks.

In 1925, ownership passed to Distillers Co. Ltd, which in time became Diageo, and since that time Mortlach has been a major component of the various Johnnie Walker iterations. Today, capacity is 2.9 million litres a year, and the award-winning whisky is available - and not only to the gentry - the world over. We are proud to offer it as two releases in the ground-breaking Adversum range.

Colour: The mellow honey has deepened and developed a brilliant burnt copper and amber hue.

Nose: There is a considerable softening of the oiliness, with vibrant fruit and gentle spice coming to the fore, this is against a backdrop of drier, earthy grain.

Palate: While the balance of lightness and richness remains, the sweetness has noticeably shifted from brown sugar to milk chocolate. What had a year earlier been a pronounced cinnamon note has now taken on a more peppery flavour. Meanwhile, a ghostly smoke continues to waft through it all.

Finish: In this edition, the finish is very much a continuation of the dram’s offering. That happy blend of sweet and savoury makes its presence felt, along with the smoky spices. It is perhaps here in the finish that we discover that in the right hands and in the right cask, long ageing does not have to mean a diminution of the flavour profile.

Overall comment: What a difference a year makes! This is undoubtedly a major Speyside single malt. It is patently a Mortlach. Yet almost 30 years in the cask has added further complexity - the taste sensations come in layers that have the tongue and taste buds on high alert with expectation. This 27-year-old iteration is bold and robust, yet subtle and sophisticated. The masters of their craft at Dufftown set out to create an after-dinner malt non-pareil. They have undoubtedly succeeded beyond measure.

By Whisky Enthusiast & Journalist

Mortlach Distillery,

Keith, Dufftown

Scotland

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