For most of its life Mortlach was a blender's malt, prized by Johnnie Walker and hoarded by those who knew. Official bottlings were so rare that the distillery acquired a near-mythical reputation among enthusiasts — the 'Beast of Dufftown', named for its 2.81-times distillation regime and the heavy, sulphurous new make it produces.
In 2014 Diageo finally gave Mortlach the prestige treatment, launching a new range headed by this 25 Year Old alongside a Rare Old and the Special Strength travel-retail expression. Bottled at 43.4% ABV in a squat apothecary-style decanter, the 25 was priced to sit with the grandees — north of £600 on release — and met mixed reviews for that reason alone.
Taken on its own terms the whisky is unmistakably Mortlach. The nose is dense and savoury, the palate chewy to the point of stickiness, and the finish carries that characteristic meaty drag which has always separated Mortlach from its gentler Speyside neighbours. A quarter century in cask has softened the sulphurous edge without erasing it, and the oak contributes bitter cocoa and old furniture rather than obvious vanilla.
The 43.4% ABV was chosen, Diageo said, to mirror the strength Mortlach was once bottled at for the domestic market — a historical conceit that divided opinion. Stronger would have suited the weight of the spirit; as presented it remains a dignified, unhurried dram that rewards slow drinking rather than inspection.
The 2014 range was quietly reformulated in 2018, replaced by the 12, 16 and 20 year old expressions still sold today, making this original 25 a closing chapter as much as an opening one.
