Mortlach New Make Spirit

Mortlach Distillery tour, 4th May 2024 Mortlach is the most idiosyncratic Scottish distillery. You could write a whole book about the distillation process but in summary there are three wash stills and three spirit stills, each of a different design, which are used in an unconventional manner to create three separate new-make spirits that are then blended to make the final new-make. So it’s no wonder it produces one of the most characterful whiskies. I like to sample a distillery’s new-make spirit whenever possible and I had hoped I would be able to do so at Mortlach. Consequently I was delighted to find, when we entered the stillroom during the tour, that not just one but three samples of new-make had been drawn for us, one from each of the three spirit stills. I’ll call these New Make A, B and C. New Make A was malty and meaty with a full-bodied ale-like cereal character and a little background sulphur. It is produced from Wash Still #3 and Spirit Still #3 which are used as a classic double distillation pair (i.e. the low-wines from the wash still are combined with the foreshots and feints from the previous spirit run to charge the spirit still). New Make B was completely different to New Make A. It is lighter, quite delicate and clean with floral and fruity characteristics. It is produced from Wash Still #1, Wash Still #2 and Spirit Still #2. The first 80% of the low-wines produced by the two wash stills is combined with the foreshots and feints from the previous spirit run to charge the spirit still. It is thus also a double distillation process but the heavier, oily feints from the wash stills do not go into the spirit still. New Make C was different again being spicy and bold, with ginger and citrus notes. It is also produced from Wash Still #1 and Wash Still #2 but this time they are teamed with Spirit Still #1 (the famous "Wee Witchie"). First, the feinty last 20% of the low wines runs that were not directed to Spirit Still #2 in the above process are used to charge Spirit Still #1, in combination with the foreshots and feints from its last spirit run. What happens next is quite odd. This charge is distilled not once but twice, and no cut is taken either time. The charge is then distilled for a final third time and this time a heart cut is taken. Consequently, this new make is exclusively quadruple-distilled feints and foreshots. It was fascinating to approach the familiar facets of Mortlach whisky in isolation but I really don’t know how to rate these new-makes appropriately, so I’ll just say that subjectively it was all very good. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)