Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 48%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Hogshead Imports
Average price: € 100.00
Official website: hogshead-imports.nl
Vote: 86/100
From the most understated Dutch IB (in label design, that’s what I’m saying) here is a new single cask ex bourbon refill, which this time comes from Miltonduff, a Speyside distillery not exactly prominent, which can only be known and appreciated through the work of independent bottlers.
Today’s whisky, dated 2010, was bottled 13 years later, at 48%ABV, in its natural color and without chillfiltration, in 268 bottles.
Tasting Notes
The color is gold.
On the nose we immediately sense a cereal sensation that makes us say: here is a whisky that tastes like whisky. But there is more than that: a pepper and thyme-based spiciness, a balsamic note that can be felt in the throat and also in the nose and unexpected impressions of polenta crusts, roasted chestnuts and aniseed. The assortment is enriched with cyclamen, while lemon cream and red radicchio close an original olfactory range, marked by a smoky vagueness in the background that is even more unexpected and that for a few minutes, we admit, makes us doubt our impressions.
In the mouth at first it is creamier, with malt and latte, and spices more evident than on the nose (pepper). Then it is fruit that emerges, with apple and pear in spirit, apricot, peach, and a hint of raspberry. As on the nose, a mirage of smoke winks in the distance.
The finish is long, cerealy and comforting, with impromptu forays of apricot and peach.
We honestly expected a pleasant drink but without any unexpected peaks or turns. Instead, we were proved wrong by a snappy whisky, capable of sudden drifts, in a dram that one remembers fondly and wishes one could replicate soon.