Mortlach 20 Years Old Cowie's Blue Seal Scotch Whisky
Mortlach 20 Years Old Cowie's Blue Seal Scotch Whisky is a 750mL Speyside single malt bottled at 43.4% ABV (86.8 proof) — 20 years in sherry-led casks, including refill wood, at Dufftown's first legal distillery. Released in 2018 as the oldest of the relaunched Mortlach trio, it revives the Cowie's Blue Seal name from a 1909 bottling and shows the full weight of the distillery's unique 2.81 distillation. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 43.4% (86.8 proof)
- Size: 750mL (US bottling)
- Age: 20 years
- Origin: Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown, Speyside, Scotland — founded 1823
- Distillation: 2.81 times through six stills, with traditional worm tub condensers
- Casks: Sherry-cask-led maturation, including refill wood
- Name: Revives the Cowie's Blue Seal bottling of 1909
The Beast of Dufftown, Twenty Years On
Mortlach was Dufftown's first legal distillery, founded in 1823 on the site of an illicit still, and it has never made whisky the easy way. In the 1890s Dr Alexander Cowie — son of George Cowie, who had joined the distillery in 1853 — devised its strange, exacting distillation: spirit run through six stills of differing shapes an effective 2.81 times, condensed in traditional worm tubs, producing a thick, rich, almost meaty spirit that writer Dave Broom later nicknamed "The Beast of Dufftown." This 20 Year Old carries the name of Alexander Cowie's own Blue Seal bottling of 1909, long associated with his private, specially aged stock, and gives the Beast two full decades in sherry-led casks to deepen. Explore the younger siblings on the Mortlach vendor page and in our whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Per the producer's notes: dark, dried-fruit aromas over a robust, savoury, spicy palate; the US producer set adds dried fruit and cedar on the nose, pepper and cinnamon spice through the middle, and smooth vanilla-oak underneath — the distillery's characteristic meatiness wrapped in sherry fruit.
How to Enjoy
Neat, with time and a few drops of water — a 20-year-old Beast asks for patience, and water loosens the cedar, spice and dried fruit in stages. More aged Speyside malts are in our whisky collection and across our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 2.81 distillation mean?
Mortlach's unique system, devised by Dr Alexander Cowie in the 1890s: the spirit passes through six stills of different shapes in a sequence that works out to 2.81 distillations, combined with worm tub condensers. It creates the distillery's famously thick, meaty spirit.
What is Cowie's Blue Seal?
The name revives an early Mortlach bottling dating to 1909, associated with Alexander Cowie's specially aged private stock. The modern 20 Year Old — the oldest of the relaunched core trio — carries the Blue Seal in its honour.
What casks is Mortlach 20 aged in?
Sherry-cask-led maturation for the full 20 years, including refill wood — producer descriptions vary on the oak origin, so the cask claim here stays at the sherry-led level all sources support.
Two decades of the Beast, under Cowie's own seal — order Mortlach 20 Years Old Cowie's Blue Seal online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.