Mortlach

George Cowie, an engineer, joined John Gordon as owner in 1853 and became sole owner in 1867.^1,4,7 One heritage record dates its 14-bay maltings to 1860, but the listing says they likely date to the 1897 expansion.^2,10 In 1868 the Elgin Courant wrote that perhaps no Scottish distillery had so many private customers, with whisky sent to America, India, China and Australia.⁷ It stayed the only distillery in Dufftown until 1887, when William Grant, a former Mortlach manager, founded Glenfiddich.^2,7 Alexander Cowie took over from his father in 1897, Diageo says, while Wikipedia and WhiskyCast give 1896.^1,7,8 Working with distillery engineer Charles Doig, he doubled the stills from 3 to 6, an unusually large number then, and added a railway siding.^1,2,3 Diageo credits him with creating the 2.81 distillation process, but Whiskypedia says no one is sure where it began.^1,4,7 In 1898 the distillery got electric lighting, one of the first in the area.⁷

John Walker & Sons bought Mortlach from Alexander Cowie in 1923 and used much of its whisky in their blends.^4,7,8 In 1925 the firm became part of the Distillers Company Limited, and Scottish Malt Distillers bought Mortlach in 1930.^4,7,10 The production buildings were rebuilt in 1963-4 to meet growing demand, but the outside wooden worm tubs were kept.^1,3,10 In 1968 it stopped using its floor maltings, where barley was sprouted on the floor and dried over peat fires.^4,10 In 1971 a refit converted the entire heating system to steam.^1,4 Guinness bought the Distillers Company in 1986, and Mortlach passed to United Distillers.^4,7 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo.^4,7 Diageo announced plans, in 2013 or 2014 by different accounts, for a second still house with copies of all six stills, to double capacity.^3,4,11 It suspended expansion spending in October 2014, and the Mortlach work was understood to be shelved, though a heritage record says a new production complex was added in 2013-14.^3,4,11

Wikipedia lists 3 wash stills for the first distillation and 3 spirit stills for the second.^4,7 Whiskypedia gives both kinds a neck ball shape, and Diageo says its six stills come in various shapes and sizes.^4,5,11 One wash still and one spirit still work as a normal pair, while a tiny still called the Wee Witchie distils a weak 20% share three times.^4,5,6 The stills run fast into cold worm tubs, outside wooden tubs that cool and condense the spirit.^1,4,12 This whole regime, with no air rests to refresh the copper, builds up sulphur and meatiness in the new spirit.^1,4,12 Blenders prize its heavy, meaty spirit as a base note for blends.^1,4,5 Whisky writer Dave Broom called Mortlach the Beast of Dufftown in 2012.^1,4,5 It has 6 wooden washbacks.⁴ It uses malt that is not peated, and fermentation lasts at least 53 hours.⁴ Whiskypedia gives its water source as the Conval Hills Spring, while Wikipedia names Dykehead Catsvraig.^4,7 Its former malt barn, kiln and warehouses were moved from listing Category B to C in 2014.^2,3 Listing gives legal protection to buildings of special architectural or historic interest.^2,3

Sources

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