{"product_id":"mortlach-11-year-old-signatory-vintage-2012-70cl","title":"Mortlach 11 Year Old Signatory Vintage 2012 70cl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 28px;\"\u003eMortlach 11 Year Old Signatory Vintage 2012 70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDistilled in 2012, this single malt from Mortlach was filled into a combo of oloroso sherry and bourbon casks to mature. 11 years later, the casks were opened, and the whisky was independently bottled by Signatory for its Small Batch Edition #1 collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNose : Syrupy flapjack and sultana sponge cake are followed by dustings of cocoa and a touch of leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePalate : Rich layers of biscuity malt and oily oak, with vanilla fudge joined by boozy raisins and soft spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinish : Poached apples and stone fruits, nutty notes of maple, spiced toffee, and charred oak.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Mortlach \u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMortlach’s main claim to fame, production wise, is as the home of the most fiendishly complex distillation regime in Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wash (from clear wort and long fermentation) is split between three wash stills; No. 3 wash still and No.3 spirit still work in tandem and as per normal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe low wines from wash stills No. 1 and 2 is, however, split into two parts. The first 80% of the run is collected as the charge for spirit still No. 2. The remaining 20% (called weak feints) forms the charge for spirit still No.1 otherwise known as ‘The Wee Witchie’. This distils the weak feints three times with only the heart of the final run being collected. It all adds up to the new make spirit having been distilled 2.81 times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to this, all the stills are run relatively speedily with no air rests to rejuvenate the copper and all lyne arms running into cold worm tubs. The result of this complex regime in a copper-starved environment is a building up of sulphur and ‘meatiness’ in the new make spirit, with the ‘dud runs’ on the Wee Witchie providing an extra meaty boost. Although it is aged in a mix of casks, Mortlach’s weight makes it an ideal partner with ex-Sherry casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile other meaty spirits are made [most notably Benrinnes and Dailuaine] none have Mortlach’s weight, meaning that this is a highly-prized base note for blends. As a result, there has been little stock available for single malt bottlings bar the occasional independent bottlings (most notably with Gordon \u0026amp; MacPhail) and small batches of a 16-year-old in Diageo’s Flora \u0026amp; Fauna range. Mortlach seemed destined to remain a cult malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, however, that changed with the launch of a four-strong range: Rare Old, Special Strength, (both no-age-statement), 18-year-old, and 25-year-old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMortlach was the name of the original village which sprang up around the abbey of the name, founded by Saint Moluag in the 7th century. With the building of Dufftown in 1817 the old name fell in abeyance – apart from the distillery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe distillery was the first to be licensed within Dufftown, being founded by James Findlater, Donald Mackintosh and Alex Gordon in 1823. It passed briefly into the hands of the Grant brothers of Glen Grant fame who gutted the buildings and used the equipment for their distillery in Rothes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was George Cowie and his son Alexander who, from the 1850s on, recommenced whisky production and steered Mortlach to a pre-eminent position as a blending malt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough no-one is sure where the unique distillation regime originated, its adherence to richness and weight singles Mortlach out as one of the distilleries with a robust belief in the older ways of making whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt remained in the Cowie’s hands until 1923 when it became part of John Walker \u0026amp; Sons and from there via DCL into Diageo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, it was announced that a mirror image of the existing distillery would be built which, when completed, will double total capacity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Signatory Vintage \u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerthshire-based independent bottler and owner of Edradour distillery. Signatory is an independent bottler with a vigorous release policy, and usually some 50 different single malt expressions are available at any one time. Whiskies are bottled across a number of ranges, including the Un-chill Filtered Collection, the Cask Strength Collection and the Single Grain Collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSignatory bottling, bonding and office facilities are located in a building adjacent to Edradour distillery, near Pitlochry in Perthshire, which the company also owns. Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky was established in 1988 by Andrew Symington, who had previously managed the prestigious Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh. The first cask bottled by Symington was a 1968 Sherry-cask-matured Glenlivet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSignatory was initially based in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh, where a bottling plant was developed, but in 2002 the firm acquired Edradour distillery from Pernod Ricard, and subsequently moved all of its operations north to the picturesque Perthshire location.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA new bottling plant and a warehousing complex were constructed, strictly in keeping with the vernacular architectural style which prevails at the much-visited and diminutive former farm distillery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e48.2% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mortlach","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54524429009221,"sku":"5021944123957","price":73.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0941\/9495\/8661\/files\/4108578798_474d2569-8ac0-46e1-9869-32956cf37ab0.jpg?v=1746551719","url":"https:\/\/b1yyjg-bk.myshopify.com\/products\/mortlach-11-year-old-signatory-vintage-2012-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation Old","version":"1.0","type":"link"}