Mortlach – Rare Old 50cl (50cl, 43.4%)

Mortlach – Rare Old 50cl is a whisky from Mortlach (Speyside). Bottled at 43.4% ABV, 50cl. The first of the Seven Stills of Dufftown, Mortlach was established in 1823 by James Findlater. After a string of varous owners, the distillery’s situation did not improve until railway surveyor and engineer George Cowie structured production and distribution. It is one of the great iconic distilleries for its unique combination of stills and the fact that its spirit is distilled 2.81 times. Described by Dave Broom as, “the beast of Dufftown” its muscular and beefy style has won an army of followers over the years as the distillery recently shifted production from twelve to sixteen mashes per week. Mortlach uses water from the Dykehead and Catscraig springs, barley from Glen Ord Maltings and leverages 6 wooden washbacks and 6 stills to produce 3,800,000 litres annually. Although the Mortlach distillery, with two preserved kilns (no longer in operation), is extremely picturesque, it has been a highly modern and efficient distillery since extensive renovation. Distillation at Mortlach has been almost fully automated. There are several possible origins for the name Mortlach though the most likely appears to be either the Gaelic for “Bowl-shaped Valley” or perhaps “Big Green Hill”.