The Mortlach distillery is something of an enigma. Founded in 1823, their famous 2.81 times distillation technique (touted as the reason for the meaty robust flavor) was developed at the turn of the century. The vast majority (circa 95%+) of production is destined for the Johnnie Walker Blenders, where it balances the sweet highland malts and smoky Islays perfectly. One of the few Diageo single malts we've yet to actually visit, the distillery has become an icon for those in the know. For others it's a mouthful - Mort LATCH? No no, Mort LOCK! But there's no denying the spirit coming out of there is one of the most intriguing, beguiling, enthralling, idiosyncratic, and undeniably delicious example of the Scottish Speyside available. The robust spirit is renowned for its age-worthiness, but because of its strong propensity to be blended we almost always see it in refill casks. Diageo probably doesn't need too much of this stuff sitting in expensive 1st Fill bourbon casks since they'll just be dumping in a bunch of cheap grain and caramel, but that doesn't mean they won't do it. As with the sherry butts, 1st fill bourbon and Mortlach seem to get along magnificently. The beastly savory quality of the malt isn't so much tamed by the active American oak, but instead it's seemed to be made even larger. Deeper, richer, and much more textured than the 10 Year Milroy we sold last year, we're paying a premium here as compared to that whisky and there's no question it's worth it.