
May 30, 2017

A trio of Miltonduff

I know, we’ve had many Miltonduffs in the last weeks, but there is more. Not that we’re hoping we’ll find the same extremely high quality that was to be found in the 1950s-1960s…

Miltonduff 8 yo ‘Batch 2’ (45.5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 254 bottles)

Comes with a label showing Dick Beach and offspring, of Fiddler’s Whisky Bar fame, all very good friends of ours and well-known Speyburn collectors. Colour: gold. Nose: total bananas, in the literal sense. Not making this up, bananas. Or banana wine. Or light Caribbean rum. This is really funny! Mouth: forget about those bananas, this is a creamy, well-rounded, fruity and vanilla-ed malt, with cornflakes, maple syrup, and yeah, pancakes. I’ve heard this is what they’re pouring for breakfast over there in Drumnadrochit, when Nessie’s not watching. Finish: medium, sweet, with a wee rooty/mentholy touch, probably from some fairly active wood. Comments: blistering blue barnacles, this young thing is good, captain Dick! SGP:551 - 82 points.

Miltonduff 21 yo 1995/2016 (56%, A Few Barrels Company, Uniqueness of The Cask, cask #2849, 179 bottles)

We’ve had some very good Wardhead by the same wee company (or was that Warhead? Not too sure about that name, sources diverge greatly…) Colour: straw. Nose: a barley field in the midst of summer, brioche, vanilla, limestone, touches of bananas yet again, and some unusual, and rather huge notes of cassis (blackcurrant). That’s quite spectacular. With water: perfect fresh maltiness. Apricots. Mouth (neat): oh, marshmallows and bubblegum, Jell-O, more cassis, blackberries, and most certainly a lot of hop(s). That’s spectacular too, you would think you’re quaffing distilled Californian IPA. With water: same, it’s fresh and it’s very fruity, unusually so. Tinned peaches. Finish: same. Medium length. Comments: loved this one, loved the IPA inside. SGP:551 - 86 points.

And now perhaps a very old new one…

Miltonduff-Glenlivet 38 yo 1978/2017 (46.5%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 180 bottles)

Isn’t it amazing what they have? Colour: gold. Nose: wow. Fresh old juice, fruit salad, nectar, herbal teas, oils, pink bananas, papayas, light honeys, touches of eucalyptus and camphor, stuff moderately ending with –ol (what?)… Mouth: wow again (give it a rest, S.), some wonderful old malt that remained fresh and fruity, without any excessive woodiness, no dry tannicity, and rather bags of various herbal teas and dried fruits. Rosehip, hawthorn, chamomile, dried apple bits, then drier minty notes, other teas (thyme? Pine?)… And guavas, most certainly guavas. There’s some oak for sure, but it works as a perfect counterpoint. Finish: medium, never too oaky, fresh, perfectly herbal-tea-ish, with guavas again in the aftertaste. Comments: rejoicing. We’ll leave it at that. Yet, careful with water, don’t add too much or it’ll get a little too drying, as often with very old whiskies. SGP:661 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Miltonduff I've tasted so far