Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Mortlach

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Mortlach distillery
Mortlach Distillery
Dufftown
Banffshire
AB55 4AQ
+44 1340 820 318
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date1823

photos

Amongst the nine distilleries around Dufftown, Mortlach is the oldest one. The second is Glenfiddich, founded by William Grant who was production manager at Mortlach.
The distillery has been created by James Findlater and two of his friends, Donald McIntosh and Alexander Gordon on a ground hired from the earl of Mactuff. The creation date is not known for sure, but the licence has been officially delivered in 1823.
The distillery has been taken over by John Gordon who marketed its whisky under the name "The real John Gordon".
John Gordon has also the idea to put 20 cows on the surrounding grounds, in order to clear its stock of distillery waist.
In 1853, John Gordon took George Cowie as a partner. Cowie became the only owner when John died in 1867.
George Cowie held also some sheep in a farm in the surroundings. This was not unusual as this was the way the distillery owners could have some incomes during the summer, where the distilleries do not work full time, because of a lack of water.
His son, Alexander Mitchell Cowie built a railway from the distillery to the Dufftown station.
Alexander's only son died during the war in 1917 and the distillery has been sold to John Walker & co. Walker joined DCL which become soon SMD before being integrated within UDV.
A new distillery has been build in 1964, but the old stills were used.
The malting floors were suppressed in 1968, and since the late 1990's, the process is computer aided.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

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 Mortlach: independant bottlings
 

Mortlach
Dun Bheagan
13 years
Age
 13 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Ian McLeod
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 
This whisky is dominated by the malt at the very first nosing. The taste is rather pleasant, and the palate detects some pepper or spices over the malt. The finish is not really special. This cannot be the best product of this renown distillery ... 

A second tasting in the usual conditions (this was not the case for the first one) gave quite different results. First, a very pleasant nose, slightly smoke, with spicy and peppery hints, followed by a taste confirming the good impression. The finish could be longer.
17/20
At the third tasting, the nose was clearly marked by a slightly acid citrus fruit freshness, mixed to a light smell of ripe fruits, peaches. In the palate, the malt is first peppery and develops quickly on citrus and ripe fruits (in fact the same impressions than for the nose), on a smoky background. A pleasant finish, with malted and slightly acid touches. It is really funny to see the differences between those 3 notes...
17/20
The nose is quite clear, fresh with some hay and fruity notes, and a very light medicinal hint. THe palate is fresh, just as the nose was, without excessive complexity, with both slightly acid notes and a rather pleasant smooth bitterness. A very nice finish, lingering and warm, with nice hints of malt and hazelnut, some touches of citrus fruit and plum, with a kind of discrete bitter tingling.
18/20
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Mortlach
1989
Signatory
Un-Chill filtered Collection

Age
 14 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Signatory
=25 euros< 25 euros
Mortlach 1989

Colour: deep yellow straw.
Nose: interesting herbal notes (green malt) and floral ones (heady flowers) with as usual with Mortlach slight hints of smoke.
The palate is very different, marked by pecan nut, toffee and vanilla. It goes smoothly on on malted barley. The finish reveals almond, nuts and chocolate notes. The whole is balanced and original.
(la Maison du Whisky)

The nose is all together fresh and slightly spicy and reveals a hint of cut grass, enhanced on the background by some flower smells. The nose is very complex and dominated by a kind of sweetness. The palate is slightly marked by citrus fruit with a touch of bitterness and a hint of smoke. The finish is long and very pleasant, going through several after tastes, from nut to malt and finishing on something between acid and bitter.
18/20
The nose, clearly marked by flower frangrances and cut grass freshness, is slightly spiced with some discrete smoke on the background. In the mouth, some bitterness, wallnut taste, is first present, and it developes on pleasant and complex notes somewhere between malt and sweet citrus fruits, with still this discrete presence of smoke. A nice finish, slightly bitter and rather long.
18/20
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Mortlach
1990
Old Malt Cask

Age
 13 years
Alcohol percentage
 50%
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
The nose is marked by malt and a smell of meat juice seems to be rather present on a clearly spicy (pepper) background. The whole has a very nice complexity. The mouth is remarkably complex too, spicy, going from the cereal to the wood with still this spicy touch and this meaty remembrance on the background. The slightly woody, chocolate-flavoured taste is quite pleasant. A remarkable finish, still enhanced by the pepper, the wood memory and a very nice impression of... happiness!
19/20
Quite a farmy nose, with clear wet hay and mouldy wood smells, a touch of peat and meaty hints with some spices. Nice complexity, even if the smell palette is rather limited. Very nice attack in the palate, first slightly bitter, with a touch of smoke, developing quickly on smoother malt and coffee with milk flavours. Clear meaty hints. The nice finish is lingering and warm, slightly marked by the bitter touches of the palate, mixed to chocolate hints. Excellent bottle.
19/20
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Mortlach
1997
Provenance
Age
 11 years
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
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Mortlach Provenance
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Mortlach
1969-1992
Vintage

Age
 22 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Cask
 Sherry
Bottler
 The Vintage Malt Company
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Mortlach 1969-1992
The nose is rather fresh, marked by nice light citrus hints, with a discrete smell of orange and some meaty notes.
The mouth is even less spectacular, although quite pleasant. A light violet fragrance, (or is it eau-de cologne?) behind malty notes and some unpleasant toilet perfume.
The finish is relatively short and warm. I was not convinced by this old bottling. Problem of conservation?
17/20
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Mortlach
Adelphi
Cask #5947
Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 57.5%
Bottler
 Adelphi
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Mortlach 16 Adelphi
The nose is both smooth and discrete. Sweet malty hints and touches of ripe fruit mix with a touch of marshmallow. Smoothness and character to come...
The mouth is clearly less discrete than the nose was. From the very first contact, very nice malt and ripe fruit notes and hints of milk chocolate appear. A nice richness and a very great pleasure.
The finish is exceptional too, smooth and very long. Nice sherry notes contribute to the prolonging of the pleasure. Character and balance. An excellent bottle.
19/20
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Mortlach
Aged 14 years
Murray McDavid
Age
 14 ans
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Murray McDavid
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Mortlach 14 Murray McDavid
The nose is very close to candy-floss or other children sweet. Anyway quite a perfumed whisky announcing a possible deception for whisky lovers...
And the palate just confirms that. First sickly sugared and then a rather tasteless acidity remaining acid drop rather than the traditional citrus one.
To be complete, the finish prolongs the nose and mouth deception. Something both sweet and sour. For palates used to drink whisky, this is the perfect illustration of what should be avoided. But no doubt other should like it.
15/20
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Mortlach
Cask Collection
13 years
Age
 13 years
Alcohol percentage
 58,8%
Bottler
 Dewar Rattray
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Mortlach 13 Dewar Rattray
Quite a subtle nose, even though rather marked by alcohol, offering nice citrus fragrances, giving this nose an impression of freshness. The light tingling due to alcohol tempers the enthusiasm. Nice complexity, mix of green apples and ripe pears. Some menthol smells.
In the palate, no alcohol hinder anymore. Great complexity, mix of citrus freshness (somewhere between tangerine and lemon). Very amazing impression.
The finish is still in the freshness register. Lingering and pleasant.
An excellent whisky.
18/20
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Mortlach
Auld distillers collection
11 years
Age
 11 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,2%
Bottler
 Jack Wieber
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
Mortlach 11 Jack Wieber
The first nose is quite floral with honey notes which are quickly followed by citrus fruit ones. Freshness and smoothness. Nice fruity hints as well. Smells like a marriage between a melon and an orange, where the acidity of the orange remains very discrete...
In the palate, a nice balance and quite a pleasant fruity smoothness. Nice done!
The finish is long and paradoxicaly a bit more acid than the mouth was. Alcohol is rather present also, even if the relatively high percentage was hardly noticeable till now.
18/20
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Mortlach
For www.Mortlach.de
Age
 18 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,2%
Bottler
 Official for Mortlach.de
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Mortlach for Mortlach.de
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Mortlach: samples

Mortlach
The Cross Hill
1988
Age
 18 years
Alcohol percentage
 59.4%
Bottler
 Jack Wieber
Mortlach Jack Wieber 1988
A nice typical nose for a Mortlach, with its ceral notes and it's meaty character. Smoke and some hints of exotic fruit and spices. Lots of character. In the palate, a real explosion of tastes going from green apple to walnuts through all kinds of very nice sensations. A real firework. Very nice complexity. The finish is wonderfully smooth, and the memory of hazelnut, together with a very pleasant bitterness remain for a while. Really an excellent whisky.
19/20
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Mortlach
Prenzlow Portfolio collection
1974

Age
 32 years
Alcohol percentage
 51.1%
Bottler
 Jack Wieber
Mortlach 1974 Jack Wieber
A fruity nose with discrete meaty notes. Rather spicy, it develops slowly on marine, salty notes with a hint of smoke In the palate, the taste develops quickly from cereal notes to fruity hints, with a kind of nutty bitterness, and some tingling due to the percentage of alcohol all the time the whisky stays in the mouth. The finish is rather long, with clearly marked cereal notes and this bitter hints which remains for long minutes..
18/20
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Mortlach
1996 "Hine"

Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 42%
Bottler
 Dun Eideann
Finishing cask
Cognac
Quite a nice nose with its hints of flowers and hay behind this little veil of smoke.
The mouth is both sweet and bitter. Not really complex although rather varied, dominated by a taste close to chocolate with light acid touches. Interesting and unusual.
The finish is rather long and keeps the memory of this little chocolate taste.
17/20
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Mortlach
16 years
Whisky Galore
1988-2005
Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,9%
Bottler
 Duncan Taylor
Mortlach 16 whisky galore
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Mortlach
Berry Bros &Rudd
1991
Alcohol percentage
 56,4%
Bottler
 Berry Bros & Rudd
Mortlach BBR 1991
A very nice nose mixing chocolate and sherry with fine spicy notes. Very pleasant.
The palate is smooth and marked by sherry. Chocolate notes are present too. The whole is relatively complex but you could expect some more. May be some more cask years to dim this touch of metallic bitterness. But the mouth remains excellent.
The finish is lingering and without any surprise, as it follows exactly the mouth impressions.
18/20
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Mortlach
The Ultimate Single Malt 1990
Alcohol percentage
 46%
Bottler
 Van Wees
Quite an aggressive first nose with an obvious presence of alcohol. But soon nice fruity notes appear, green apple freshness but relatively little complexity.
The first mouth is both bitter and acid. This nice freshness develops quickly on something more elaborated and better balanced. The whole is quite nice, even if here too there is no complexity.
The finish is short and hints of hazelnut and coffee seem to be the dominant notes.
This whisky presents an excellent quality-price ratio.
17/20
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Mortlach
Best Casks of Scotland
1999
Age
 10 years
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
Alcohol percentage
 43%
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Mortlach: not in collection


Mortlach
21 years old
Gordon & MacPhail

Age 21 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail

Comment by Henrik Johansson

Date of tasting: 27/3 2009 (SWS tasting)
Apperance: Pale straw or very pale gold perhaps
Nose: Relatively full and well balanced. A lightly roasted maltiness. Complex but difficult to find, remains relatively closed. A pequliar hint of fabrics, like textile craft, sewing machines and ironed fabrics. Also a slight hospital hint.
Palate: Full and round. A little too diluted, would probably have been a heck of a lot better cask strength, still very nice though. Fresh fruits in the finish, but again too weak.
86/100

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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
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