I can't remember anyone ever saying that Miltonduff is their favorite Distillery, but then again, I have never heard anyone expressing a negative word about it. Perhaps a whisky that needs to be thoroughly explored.
Miltonduff-Glenlivet 20yo 46% Cadenhead's
An older bottling, due to the "-Glenlivet" spelling, which doesn't happen anymore. I guess this could be a distillate from as early back as the 50's. Pale yellow color. It smells creamy honey, biscuits, vanilla, aniseeds, rhubarb, boiled kale, burnt syrup. The taste is rich, creamy, sauerkraut, honey, biscuits, rhubarb again, red onions, bell peppers, pencil shavings, grass, polyester, a weird but still very good one.
One of the better 46%'s I've had: 7
Miltonduff 30yo 1980-2011 44.7% Malts of Scotland cask#12429
The oldest expression in this tasting, let's hope its mellowed with style through the years. This one comes from a bourbon hogshead, as you all might know, a hoggie usually let's rip a bit more because of the slightly more porous material and the smaller cask. The color here is golden with no coloring. The nose is burnt, ginger, bitter, peppery, nestles, grapefruit, a sour and bitter mix. The taste is vanilla. oily, ginger, parsnip, wheat, peppery, green peppers, orange zest. The aftertaste is a bit drying, hops and leather, ending at that, a bit short and flat.
It's all on the palate here, but usually its like that, isn't it?: 7
Miltonduff 22yo 1987-2009 56.1% Alambic Classique
Very rarely do I see bottlings from this IB. Alambic Classique provides good whisky no doubt, but its just a bit hard to get hold of. The color is dark, golden brown. It smells rich, spungecake, cinnamon, honey, sherry. An amazing whisky. The taste is fat and rich, drying, sugar, rum, onions, orange zest, rum. cigars, honey, earthy, oaky, amazing. Reminds me of the cask#2302. Great vanilla dryness.
One great whisky: 8.5
Miltonduff 13yo 1996-2009 57.2% James MacArthur's
White wine color. The only youngster in this session. It smells all on white pepper and bitter fruits. Lime comes to mind. Very plain and simple compared to the three prior ones in this tasting. The taste is vanilla, sweet white wine, white grapes, cointreau, ginger, peat, peppery, again very concentrated on bourbon sweetness. Thick! Another very pleasant surprise from this fairly overlooked distillery.
A bit young and raw perhaps, but for its age, complex like few others: 7
Miltonduff 17yo 57.9% Cadenhead's
Golden brown color with a lot of cask sediments. I do not think this non-filtration is a practice to be found at WMC anymore. It smells creamy, herbs, turmeric, indian spices, green tea, oaky, raw onions. The taste is sweet, honey and vanilla, but not as thick and creamy as the 46% from WMC. All in all its a very good whisky, butter and vanilla dominates the palate. But the finish is somewhat burnt and spoils some of the fun.
The palate alone is worth 8, but other factors brings it down a bit: 6.5
Miltonduff 17yo 1981-1998 58.4% Signatory Vintage cask#1410 btl.530/625
From a sherry butt, a bigger one I presume, perhaps a puncheon. A dark tanned whisky, ruby red. It smells sweet, old leather and hay, caramel lozenges, nutmeg, honey, roasted onions, caramelized almonds, apple vinegar, sherry anyone? Yes please... The taste is drying, rich, apple vinegar, leather, elderflower, sweet and bitter. With added water it goes creamier, more vinegar, I don't know where this vinegar comes from, but it surely represent a side of this whisky that I'm not too keen on. The finish is bot with and without water a bit too oaky.
I thought I'd saved the big guns for the finish in this session: 6.5
Miltonduff 21yo 1978-1999 59.2% Signatory Vintage cask#1685 btl.280/620
A bit like the last one, from a sherry cask, and a high #of bottlings, but if they've al been miniatures one could just as well presume they're from a hogshead. On the other hand, I think this is a high strength for such a long time in a hoggie. This has a dark amber color. It smells rich, caramel, boiling butter, rustic, perfume, almond stands, old pubs, leather, old furniture, a simplistic charm to this whisky. The taste is very drying, cinnamon, raspberries, old tobacco, oaky, popcorn. Water is allowed. Now it turns sweeter, strawberries, vanilla ice cream, cigars, mango, plums, fresh and fruity, much better actually although some "complex"-lovers will hate me for this.
A whisky that needs water, and does excellent with it: 7
Next tasting: Dailuaine Distillery
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