Mortlach Distillery Information
The Mortlach Distillery was the first distillery in the town of Dufftown (in Banffshire, in the Speyside region of Scotland), which originally, was named Mortlach (“Mor ulach” in Gaelic, which translates into “valley shaped like a bowl”). The distillery was established in 1823 by James Findlater and his partners Donald Macintosh and Alexander Gordon. It was sold on in 1831, to a gentleman by the name of John Robertson, only to be sold on to A & T Gregory a year later. in 1837, it passed into the hands of brothers James and John Grant, who dismantled the equipment for use in the Glen Grant distillery, established in 1840. Around the time the distillery was shut, with its buildings serving as a church as well as a brewery.
In 1842, John Alexander Gordon became a partner, and the distillery was resurrected and started distilling once again in 1852 under the name of “The Real John Gordon”. In the mid 1850s, a share of the Mortlach distillery was acquired by George Cowie Senior, who was a railway surveyor (though he’d ultimately rise to become the mayor of Dufftown). John Gordon passed away in 1867, leaving Cowie as the sole owner and proprietor. 1887 was the year in which William Grant, who started as a clerk at Mortlach and worked there for over 20 years, established his own distillery (Glenfiddich) nearby. In 1895, Cowie’s son, George Cowie Junior was employed at the distillery. 2 years later, the amount of stills was doubled from 3 to 6, and a railroad was constructed to connect the distillery to the Dufftown station.
In 1897, electricity was installed at Mortlach in order to provide a source of light, and it also saw the addition of hydraulic lifts in the warehouses to make it easier to move heavy loads (and whisky casks, of course). The Distillery was eventually sold by Alexander Cowie to John Walker and Sons in 1923; 100 years after its founding. In 1925, Walker and Sons became part of Distillers Company Ltd, followed later by Scottish Malt Distillers, and eventually Diageo.
In 1964, most of the inside of the distillery was replaced with more modern equipment, and in 1968, the malting floors closed. In 1971, Mortlach switched from direct heating to indirect heating by mean of steam coils. In April 2013, Diageo revealed plans to drastically increase (dobule) the capacity at Mortlach, planning to rebrand it as a premium malt (similar to The Macallan).
Mortlach Whiskies
Before the 2013 expansion, pretty much all of the stills at Mortlach were of different shapes and sizes, with perhaps the most curious one of all is the smallest still of all, “The Wee Witchie”. One wash and Spirit still would work as a pair, like in most normal distilleries. The two remaining wash stills work as a pair, with the majority of their low wines then being fed to the larger of the remaining spirit stills. The weaker parts of all the low wines running through the 2 wash stills would be ran through The Wee Witchie no less than three times. This led to a mix of three different strengths of spirit, which would be mixed into casks, where every filling would have to contain a charge from the Wee Witchy.
It is believed this unique process led to the meaty character of Mortlach (earning it the nickname “Beast of a dram”), which made it especially wanted by blenders, with the great majority of it finding its way into Johnnie Walker blends (mainly Black Label).
However, Mortlach does have its own single Matls, though they tend to be rather scarce (and thus pricey). The current core range consists of:
- Mortlach Fauna & Flora, 16 Years Old
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Mortlach |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1823 |
| Water source | Srpings from the Conval Hills |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address |
Dufftown +44 (0)1340 822100 |
| Visitor centre | No |
| https://twitter.com/Mortlachwhisky | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 12 tonnes | 1 (Stainless steel, semi-Lauter) |
| Washback | 59,000 litres | 6 (Larch) |
| Wash still | 2 * 7,500 + 1 * 16,000 litres | 3 |
| Spirit Still | 1 * 7,000 + 2 * 9,300 litres | 3 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 2,300,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Mortlach is pronounced mort-LACH, with the “ch” said as in “loch” rather than “latch.” The name is generally traced to Gaelic elements meaning “big hill,” after the hill where the village and its old abbey once stood.
Mortlach comes from the Gaelic “Mor ulach”, meaning “valley shaped like a bowl”. The distillery was the first to be built in the town that took its name, Dufftown, in Banffshire in the Speyside region.
Mortlach was founded in 1823 by James Findlater and his partners Donald Macintosh and Alexander Gordon. It was sold in 1831 to John Robertson, then to A & T Gregory a year later, before passing in 1837 to brothers James and John Grant, who dismantled its equipment for use at the Glen Grant distillery they established in 1840. Mortlach’s own buildings briefly served as a church and a brewery during this period.
John Alexander Gordon became a partner in 1842, and the distillery resumed production in 1852 under the name “The Real John Gordon”. In the mid-1850s, railway surveyor George Cowie Senior, who would later become mayor of Dufftown, acquired a share of the distillery. When Gordon died in 1867, Cowie became sole owner.
William Grant started out as a clerk at Mortlach and worked there for over 20 years before establishing his own distillery, Glenfiddich, nearby in 1887.
George Cowie’s son George Cowie Junior joined the distillery in 1895, and two years later the number of stills was doubled from three to six, with a railroad built to connect Mortlach to Dufftown station. Alexander Cowie sold the distillery to John Walker and Sons in 1923, exactly 100 years after its founding. Walker and Sons became part of Distillers Company Ltd in 1925, followed later by Scottish Malt Distillers and eventually Diageo, the current owner.
Before a 2013 expansion, Mortlach’s stills were all different shapes and sizes, the smallest and most curious being “The Wee Witchie”. One wash still and spirit still worked as a normal pair, while the two remaining wash stills paired together, feeding most of their low wines to the larger remaining spirit still. The weaker portions of low wines from both wash stills were run through The Wee Witchie as many as three times, producing three different spirit strengths that were blended into every cask, each of which had to contain a charge from The Wee Witchie. This unusual process is believed to give Mortlach its distinctive meaty character, earning it the nickname “Beast of a dram”.
Mortlach’s meaty character makes it especially prized by blenders, with the great majority going into Johnnie Walker blends, mainly Black Label. Mortlach does release its own single malts, though they tend to be scarce and pricey; the current core range consists of a Flora & Fauna 16 Year Old.
No, Mortlach does not have a visitor centre.