
February 19, 2021

A little duet of Miltonduff 2008

It's to be remembered that old OBs bottled in the 1970s and 1980s had been splendid and of obvious 'grand cru' quality. I don't quite know why the name got so much more discreet since back then, probably a matter of priorities within the booze konzerns.

Miltonduff-Glenlivet 10 yo 2008/2018 (55.7%, Cadenhead, bourbon hogshead, 168 bottles)

As they often did, there's also a 'Small Batch' version of the same age and vintage. A good one (WF 85). Colour: gold. Nose: punchy, very grassy, austere, full of stones and chalk, with no fruits in sight at this point. Pure grass juice when undiluted, but I'd bet that some citrus, for example, will come out after H2Oisation. With water: not that much fruitiness, or only green rhubarb and gooseberries, as well as cider apples. Not that I dislike this style, on the contrary! Some lovely sour notes too, citrons… Mouth: various apples, from the softer goldens to the tartiest granny smiths, plus grass and chalk. Just touches of custard and biscuits on top of all that greenness. With water: similar, just a notch earthier, which happens very often. It takes water well. Finish: medium, with tiny notes of mint and aniseed. Or there, absinth. Comments: surely of the same high quality as the Small Batch, the latter having been fruitier having said that.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Miltonduff 11 yo 2008/2020 (62.7%, Double V, PX hogshead, cask #180612, 323 bottles)

A new Belgian indie bottler, it's true that our Belgian friends usually bring great care to anything they would eventually quaff. Not just Chausse-trappe and Couilles-de-singe (a real thing)! Colour: gold. Nose: first a feeling of vin doux naturel and sweet mustard sauce, then rather pink peppers (Timut) and orange bitter, then curious mixtures such as Marmite, in minimal proportions. The whole works well, without the heady notes that are sometimes to be found in PXed whiskies. Let's see how it swims… With water: sour wines (vin jaune, fino) and affiliated walnuts rather than pure PXness, which is good news. Mouth (neat): fun! Gingerbread liqueur (liqueur de pain d'épices) and even more orange bitter, many spices from some pretty active oak (perhaps European), cloves, big nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom aplenty… I would not call this 'distillate-driven'. With water: nice, a little lovage, soy sauce, green walnuts, teas… Finish: rather long and pretty dry. Comments: the exact opposite of the Cadenhead, which was almost fully spirit-driven, which is a style that I usually prefer. Now for a PX extravaganza, it's not too extravagant and was well coopered. High score for a PX.
SGP:461 - 84 points.

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