Mortlach, a hidden gem in Dufftown, often goes unnoticed next to Diageo's more famous distilleries such as Lagavulin, Oban, and Talisker. Despite this, Mortlach is Dufftown's oldest distillery, which is quite impressive considering the town once had seven distilleries, leading to the saying, "Rome was built on seven hills, Dufftown stands on seven stills."

The Mortlach Distillery was officially established in 1823, though it was likely built on the site of an older, illicit operation. Mortlach was also the original name of the settlement until 1817, when James Duff, the 4th Earl of Fife, established the village of Dufftown.

A visit to the Mortlach distillery reveals a unique approach to whisky distillation. Its six stills—three wash stills and three spirit stills—are all different shapes and sizes. One small still, known as the 'Wee Witchie,' uniquely distills tails and heads together in a process called the 'dud run,' resulting in a whisky that is not quite triple distilled, but rather 2.8 times. Mortlach also continues to use worm tubs, a process that is becoming increasingly rare in whisky distillation.

In the whisky community, Mortlach is known as the 'Beast of Dufftown' due to its bold and spicy flavors. While official distillery bottlings include a 12-year, 16-year, and 20-year expression, independent bottlings of this 'cult malt' are what truly excite whisky enthusiasts.