Mortlach 13 Year Old Special Release 2021 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

About Mortlach

Situated in the heart of the Speyside region of Scotland, Dufftown is known as the Whisky Capital of the World. The village, which produces more malt whisky than any other town in Scotland, is home to seven distilleries, the oldest of which is Mortlach Distillery.

Mortlach Distillery was founded in 1823 by James Findlater, together with his friends Alexander Gordon and James Macintosh. In 1831, however, Findlater sold the distillery to John Robertson for the paltry sum of ₤270. In 1837, it was sold again to John and James Grant, who dismantled the distilling equipment and shuttered the doors to the distillery. For the next two decades, the building was used first as a brewery, and then, rather curiously, a church. In 1851, however, the distillery began producing whisky once more. Even at the time, it was an impressive distillery, according to the Wine & Spirits Trade Record. The distillery had two still-houses: “in one there are three old-fashioned stills…in the other there are three larger stills, installed in 1897.” The distillery also had “four gigantic malt floors, and the largest mash tun in the district.”

In 1964, the distillery was largely rebuilt and today houses a unique configuration of six stills. The stills — three wash stills and three spirit stills — are each different shapes and sizes (one still is nicknamed “Wee Witchie” because it is shaped like a witch’s cap), and aren’t paired together. This unusual configuration, together with the partial triple distillation method used at Mortlach Distillery, produces a whisky that is full-bodied and meaty.