North British 16yo | 45.4% ABV

Score: 6/10

**Good Stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*A tasty example of younger North British*

Wouldn’t it be fun?

A trip to Diggers with Uncle Foosty is reason enough to travel 220 miles through stunning landscapes; from the Misty Isle to Auld Reekie, even if it means enduring the frustrations of unpredictable tourist meandering. This trip would be for more than an afternoon in Diggers, but for now I’ll start there.

The Athletic Arms, or Diggers as it is colloquially known, is a fantastic place. I’ve spoken of this whisky enthusiasts waking dream before and I still get very excited when I see the wall of amber ampules waiting to be discovered.

Prices are excellent and variety is almost infinite. We usually discuss some semblance of plan as to which way the afternoon might progress, but before we got in the quick taxi to Diggers we were chatting about whisky and I noted that Uncle Foosty had an unopened bottle of “Dalry Milk” on his ever-expanding whisky shelves.

He said Diggers had an open bottle, so we decided that grain would be where we’d kick off, and went on to many a delicious dram thereafter. But it was the “Dalry Milk” that had me most interested.

“Dalry Milk”, from the bods over at Atom Brands/Master of Malt, is a whisky from North British Distillery, situated in the area of Edinburgh called Gorgie, pronounced “GOR-gae”. This doesn’t work for the joke, so Atom has used the council precinct area of “Gorgie-Dalry”, the latter pronounced “DAHL-rye”. If you squint, it could be confused for the word Dairy, and hence…Dalry Milk.

It was released on April Fools day 2025 to stunning impact. Many thought it a fantastic little joke, some commenting that it would have been such a laugh to actually have a whisky called “Dalry Milk” to buy.

Resembling, almost identically, a more vintage branding of Cadbury’s “Dairy Milk” chocolate and using many of their slogans (twisted to fit whisky), this bottle of whisky wasn’t just a clever marketing tool - you could actually buy it…for all of 5 days. I didn’t think it would be available for half that time, knowing what they’d done.

Unless you are familiar with brand IP, Trademarking and intellectual property law, you’ll probably have not given a moment's thought to the ramifications of this cheeky wee April Fools bottling, and just how brazen it was; but for me it was an alarm bell from the second I clapped eyes on it.

In my (boring) world everyone is constantly on red alert as to what can and cannot be said, done, written, branded, coloured or portrayed in communications, products and marketing.

We’ve certainly fallen foul in the past because of something we’ve done, and also because of things that have happened to us, but the first you know about any transgression is when a nuclear letter from IP lawyers arrives in the post.

In the case of “Dalry Milk”, the legal term that describes what Atom Brands have done in creating a label that so resembles Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, is called “Passing Off”:

Passing off occurs when a party, deliberately or unintentionally, offers its goods or services in a way that deceives the customer into believing they are doing business with another party.

If you do proceed without permission, as Atom Brands evidently did - given how quickly the bottles were removed from sale, the legal representatives of the aggrieved party are astonishingly quick to let you know that you should prepare to be violated in abhorrent ways, unless you comply with their request: typically to destroy everything egregious and cease playing silly buggers immediately.

The fact that on the legal website describing “Passing Off” uses Cadbury’s purple as an example of a brand so well established as to be unfathomable to copy, let alone deploy the font, graphics, slogans and parlance of Cadbury’s, shows just how much Atom Brands didn’t think about this before they hit “print”.

It is ultra-hardball to be the recipient of such legal reprimands, and despite Master of Malt stating that the Cadbury’s lawyers were really good natured about it, changing the landing page for “Dalry Milk” to a sad gorilla (from that iconic Cadbury’s Phil Collins advert) that’s painted over the page with “Removed by the Fun Police”, I can’t help but think MoM are playing it off cool.

It would’ve been a very loud and dangerously close shot across their bow. But then again, maybe MoM were ready for it, given the animated gorilla that sprung up swiftly? Who knows.

*Master of Malt’s “Dalry Milk” product page.*

Whisky is relatively simple, I’d hazard, to remove from sale and re-label as something a bit less overt, but for other types of product, especially something that costs a lot of money to produce, it could spell disaster, especially if you have to destroy all the product that’s deemed to be at fault, or worse, believe you’re in the clear and it all ends up in court.

This time Atom Brands got away with it lightly, it seems, which is good because I think this whole subject is all a bit deflating, especially the existence of IP lawyers whose sole job it is to recoup millions through chasing hapless folk, who might not realise they’ve fallen foul of “Passing Off” regulations.

I totally get it, mind you - leveraging someone else's success to sell your own gear is no dingo, and I’d be upset too if someone was leveraging our hard work (I’m talking my own business - they have, but that’s another story for another day), but for global megabrands like Cadbury’s to go after a wee outturn of North British from a wee independent bottler, does feel a bit overkill.

However, it’s the precedent that is set through not chasing those passing off, that would be the undoing of a brand like Cadbury’s too.

If Atom Brands were not served a scathing “cease and desist”, then others might have chanced their luck too, launching something similar and soon everyone is bringing out their own versions of “Dalry Milk” and Cadbury’s have a much bigger IP infringement problem to solve.

It’s just the nature of the beast, and the power of IP law these days: brand awareness and protection, marketing spends and, I suppose, protecting business futures, are as much a part of modern business enterprise as are innovation and profit.

But it doesn’t make it fun, does it?

No-one really goes into an endeavour because it’ll be miserable. We do things because they are fun - start a business, go for a hike, ride a bike, drink whisky, play tennis, whatever - for the joy experienced whilst doing it.

Atom Brands probably thought to themselves, that’ll be a really fun thing to do. And anyway, what’s the worst that can happen? Cadbury’s find it funny? How can they not!?

It’s the litigious environment within which we all operate today that strips the fun from adventures.

It echoes the current state of whisky right now, where news of young distilleries facing hard times due to overproduction and a shift in both buyer habits and business around the world, not to mention the funny business across the pond echoing around the world’s trading markets.

Everything’s looking a bit miserable, which for whisky is the antithesis - it’s incredibly fun to be in, and enjoy the products of, the whisky world.

It’s something I wondered about the following day, arising from our post Diggers blaze of glory into a bright sunny morning with fuzzy heads. I went for a walk along the Union Canal towards Colinton Tunnel, hoping to be match fit for an afternoon spent with the Ardnamurchan team, for their annual AD/Venturer’s club meet.

From the people to the product, whisky is just a great place to exist, but I felt a bit joyless as I wandered past the folk learning to row, or jumping out the way of runners not willing to break stride, even when faced with the likelihood of a dousing in the canal from squeezing past.

What used to be the Balerno Branch Line of the Caledonian Railway, is now a tranquil path through leafy green dells and rushing dykes. The smell of natural garlic and plants fused to form a quite lovely olfactory experience as I approached the community transformed Colinton Tunnel.

You can read all about it here, but it was really cool to see it and, as I wandered back through on my way home, a wee girl on a balance bike shouted “HELLO” at me. I said hello back, and she asked me my name, which I told her, and she said she was called Hannah and she had a cardigan.

I said I had a jacket, she said, “oh, I don’t have a jacket” before shouting bye and wheeling herself along the tunnel at full speed. It was the little spark of joy I needed to bring me out of the metaphorical gloomy tunnel and onwards into a sunny afternoon filled with maximum joy, and wonderful whisky.

Review

2:1 Ratio of Oloroso and Palo Cortado, 45.4% ABV
£40 - discontinued under legal threat

We met up with resident Auld Reekie enthusiast Robert, and we spent a lovely wee hour in the Malt and Hops pub chatting whisky apps and IP law, before heading over to the first and only vertical distillery in Scotland - the Port of Leith Distillery. We had a fine afternoon in store with the Ardnamurchan crew and 7 quite remarkable drams.

It was one of those rare days where everyone was having the time of their lives, collectively. From wonderful insights into the upcoming releases from Ardnamurchan (the next Midgie is fantastic), to some nice beers with burgers in the penthouse restaurant, we headed triumphantly afterwards to the nearby Teuchter’s Landing, for some highballs and frolics.

*Port of Leith Distillery - Book well in advance or else.*

Soon it was home time and, heading for the Tram to Haymarket where we’d get a taxi back to Uncle Foosty’s pad, we bumped into Alex / Scotland on the Shot yomping down the street with a pizza in hand. It made me instantly hungry, so we vowed to get chips when we got to Haymarket.

The chips had to wait, for we alighted to find zero taxis and a lady face down on the cold pavement. Some passers-by had stopped to help, but her shouts of warning made them move on quickly.

I’m not one to stand by watching others suffer, even if they're reluctant to get help, so I walked over to see if we could get her back on her feet, which was tough given how strong she was and her reluctance to move.

Luckily a student doctor called Sandra, wearing bright red trainers, arrived behind me to assist, along with He-Man dressed as a road worker, who lifted Tanya up on her feet again like she was a traffic cone.

Once Tanya was upright and complaining loudly about her arm, which she said was broken but Sandra said wasn’t, I called the local constabulary and handed over responsibility, allowing us to get some chips and head home for a final dram of Ben Nevis from Hepburn’s Choice - very tasty.

Fun sometimes ends up in misery regardless, especially for Tanya, who would’ve woken up on Sunday with a hangover to end all hangovers. As I unzip the tin, Ramsay messages a picture of a recent auction, where a bottle of this “Dalry Milk” £40 North British 16yo dressed as a Dairy Milk bar, has fetched over £360.

Fun sometimes ends up in misery, especially for the person who has paid 10x over the asking price for “Dalry Milk” expecting it to be a sound investment. Maybe it will be in 20 years. I’m not that patient.

For me, the fun begins now, as I delve into the freshly opened bottle of “Dalry Milk” that I brought home to the Misty Isle, with thanks to Kev for releasing one of his stash in Diggers.

Nose

Gingerbread. Cinnamon. Chocolate cookies. Leaning towards burnt cookies…Ginger Snaps. Hairspray. Caramel & Fudge sauces. Something spicey - garam masala? Hazelnuts.

Palate

Very strong ginger snaps. Burnt sugar. Sweet. Dark rum fudge. Wheetos. Burnt toast PVA glue. Cola. Custardy.

The Dregs

I’m a blossoming fan of North British, as you might see in my review history. I love the viscous, honeyed spice of it all, and despite trying a fair few older bottlings, it’s the young stuff that has really won me over. All are really drinkable.

The Fragrant Drops bottling of 15yo North British in a Red Wine Barrique showed what young grain whisky can be, and despite the consensus that young grain is brash, awkward and unpalatable, I’ve only really had one grain whisky that was unpalatable - a Wemyss Watermelon Wedge 10yo North British that was served as part of our Kingsbarns Distillery tour. It was eyeball twitchingly adhesive in presentation.

Oh and The Gospel, but I’ve wiped that experience from my memory.

This 16yo North British is composed of sherry casks in a 2:1 ratio of Oloroso and Palo Cortado casks, and it’s certainly not pulling punches, despite the 45.4% ABV. It’s powerful on the nose with the sweet, almost saccharine toffee notes, but also the tell-tale “adhesive” or chemical notes that are redolent in grain whisky. Some hate it, I love it, depending on how balanced they are with the other flavours present.

Over the course of many drams, the chemical aspect falls away quickly in the Dalry Milk, but for other grain whiskies (Table Whisky is a good example), it’s the entire show. Maybe that’s a factor of age - the Table Whisky is said to be very young North British. This 16yo quickly makes for the toffee/caramel sauce table and hangs around there for a while: it’s a fantastic easy drinker. Sweet, interesting, engaging.

It doesn’t move far from there unfortunately, but is that a problem in a whisky costing £40, designed to be a wee joke for April Fools that delivers some really tasty whisky from a place usually destined for big blends?

I don’t think so. When set alongside something like the recent blended Leith Legacy, this North British is mighty by comparison. It’s not going to win the hearts and minds of everyone in exciterville, but it doesn’t need to.

Big. Chunky. Sweet. Syrupy. Some might even say a wee bit fun. But I wouldn’t. The fun police might arrive and tell me I’m wrong. For £38/40 this is good value grain whisky with character and flavour.

If I’d paid £380 at auction, I’d be asking for the directions to the nearest psychologist, for this is not liquid worth ten times that amount, but who knows, the novelty of someone flying go-go-gadget, brass neck fully extended, directly into the face of a giant like Cadbury’s, deserves to be worth a lot more in future.

Fingers suitably burnt, Master of Malt might think twice about their labelling antics in future, but what they mustn’t stop doing is delivering whisky like “Dalry Milk” at great prices. More of this please.

Score: 6/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DC

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