Mortlach 1989 SMWS 12 Year Old 76.30

Mortlach was founded in 1823 and was the first of Dufftown's "Seven Stills" to be licensed. It rose to pre-eminence under George Cowie & Son, who's unique distillation regime produced a famously "meaty" whisky, which was highly prized by blenders. It was for this reason that it was acquired by John Walker & Sons, and so important to them was it that little stock was left available for bottling as a single malt. The Flora & Fauna release was the first official distillery bottling, but it was not until 2014 that Mortlach was bottled under its own fully fledged single malt brand. Thankfully, there have been many spectacular releases from independent labels like this over the years.

This Mortlach was distilled in August 1989 and matured in a single cask for 12 years. It was bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in July 2002.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by a group of friends lead by tax accountant Phillip ‘Pip’ Hills as a private members club. The concept behind the society was to source casks from all over Scotland which would then be bottled and made available exclusively to its members. Perhaps the most famous feature of these bottles are the unique codes. Each distillery is represented by a different number and the following digits indicate that particular release. That same year, the SMWS set up its first location in Leith’s Vault buildings in Edinburgh where it still stands today.