Diageo presents new Mortlach range

Diageo surprises by undertaking a directional change concerning its Mortlach philosophy: A new core range was announced, consisting of a 12, a 16 and a 20 year old single malt. Indeed: all new Mortlachs bear an age statement. The 0.5 l bottles are history, the 0.7 l bottles are back and the price level goes down again. Four years ago Diageo explored new avenues and created a core range for the Mortlach brand for the very first time. Before original bottlings of Mortlach Single Malt Whisky were seldom released and only the 16 yo Flora & Fauna bottling soon was very famous and appreciated among whisky fans.

They liked its style and Diageo hoped to live up to this success. But it didn’t work: only a few positive votes appeared while many whisky fans showed disappointed by Mortlach Rare Old and : too expensive, two of those four releases without age statement, no Mortlach style….The fans mournt after their Flora & Fauna bottling and switched to Mortlach releases of independent bottlers. Now there will be another 16 yo – lets be anxious if the revival will be successful. Some first tasting notes and opinions published on UK sites leave us very curious.

• Mortlach 12 yo – The Wee Witch The
  12 yo Mortlach is named after the smallest of the six Mortlach pot stills which are combined in a very unusual way so that we end up with a calculated 2.81 times distillation. Ex-Sherry and Ex Bourbons casks from European and American oak are used. 43,4% ABV.
• Mortlach 16 yo – Distiller’s Dram Only
  Ex-Sherry casks from European oak are batched to create the successor of the Flora & Fauna Mortlach.43,4% ABV.
• Mortlach 20 yo – Cowie’s Blue Seal
  Same with this 20 yo: exclusively Ex-Sherry casks were chosen for it. The Cowie family had much influence on the development of Mortlach whisky during the 19th century. Alexander Cowie invented the complicated distillation process that still is in use. Cowie’s Blue Seal is named after the oldest Mortlach whisky that has been known, bottled by Alexanders father George. 43.4% ABV.

Official start of the new Mortlach range will be in Taiwan in autumn. And similar to the current range there will also be a fourth travel retail bottling, 14 years old.

About the author Petra Milde

Petra Milde is a freelance author of books and specialist writing about spirits and food. She has been supporting the Whisky.de editorial team since 2015 and creates informative and entertaining articles in the news section.

Besides her writing work, she moderates tastings and can be met at spirits fairs, both behind the stands and in front of them, looking for new products and interesting people to talk to.

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