The Speyside distillery of Mortlach has announced a revamp of its core range, which introduces three new expressions to replace the previous three bottlings. The new whiskies are this 12 Years Old ‘Wee Witchie’, the 16 Years Old ‘Distiller’s Dram’ and the 20 Years Old ‘Cowie’s Blue Seal’. All three are designed to show the bold and audacious nature of the distillery, which is nicknamed ‘The Beast of Dufftown’, with the bottle size reverting to 70cl from the previous 50cl.
Mortlach is located on the edge of the small Speyside town of Dufftown, which is the region’s whisky capital. Six distilleries are currently in operation there – Balvenie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glenfiddich, Kininvie and Mortlach. Three others have also existed but are no longer in production – Convalmore, Parkmore and Pittyvaich.
Mortlach was the first of these and was founded in 1823 by James Findlater. It is currently owned by Diageo. The whisky from Mortlach is mainly used within Diageo’s extensive range of blends, most prominently in the hugely popular Johnnie Walker Black Label and Double Black. The current capacity is 3.8 million litres per year.
All three of the new whiskies are bottled at the 43.4% ABV and have undergone Mortlach’s unique 2.81 times distillation process. The 16- and 20 Year Olds have been matured exclusively in ex-sherry casks, while this 12 Years Old has a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The name honours the Wee Witchie, a legendary still at the distillery that aids and creates Mortlach’s unique 2.81x distillation.
“These whiskies really stand out in Speyside. For me it’s the way the unique 2.81 process gives you such an intensely complex liquid and character from the minute it comes off the still; it’s like having three distilleries at the one still house. Our job is to hone the character in the right way.”
Dr. Craig Wilson – Master Blender at Diageo
They will be released initially in Taiwan in the Autumn, before being rolled out to other selected world markets. The recommended prices are – 12 Years Old (£69), 16 Years Old (£120) and 20 Years Old (£280).
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is deep gold and the nose is sweet and sugary. It kicks off with aromas of pear, apple, toffee, butterscotch and dark chocolate. Then come further earthy and savoury aromas – think of baking spice and gingerbread especially – and a hint of something floral, which is reminiscent of honeysuckle.
On the palate there are immediate notes of caramel, vanilla, toffee, honeycomb and cocoa. This gives a lovely creamy and sweet feel to the whisky. Then some warming spices begin to develop (cinnamon and gingerbread in particular) and these are complimented by a soft stewed orchard fruit note – imagine pear and apple especially. Hints of bitter orange marmalade, marzipan and white chocolate round things off. There is an underlying meaty, savoury note throughout and this grips the tastebuds and adds a characterful robustness.
The finish is decently long and becomes drier and earthier as the warming spices take hold. The sweet elements slowly fade, as do the fruity characteristics to let the savoury notes shine. A late hit of dried tropical fruit adds further depth.
What’s The Verdict?
It is a brave move by Diageo to revamp the Mortlach range just four years after they launched the previous incarnation. When speaking with those behind the new whiskies they told us that they had listened to consumer criticism about the bottle size, liquids and price. This new range is the result and is a refreshing approach from such a big company.
Mortlach is a big, bold and robust single malt and like many whiskies of this style it reacts and matures best with ex-sherry casks. This is evident here and each whisky works well individually, but also within the set of three. While we enjoyed the previous incarnation of Mortlach, these new whiskies make more sense and are very enjoyable.
