Miltonduff 11yo 2006
Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection 2017 | 56.4% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A typically independent-fuelled Speysider
Nobody’s favourite?
When you’ve been in the whisky-drinking business for a while, you start to get a feel for the classic Scotch malt distilleries.
You might not have tried all of them, but you read reviews and talk about them with your whisky pals, be it in person or via the interwebs. Something akin to a ranking builds in your mind, maybe a bell curve.
At the very right end of the curve, on the ‘perceived quality’ axis, are the universally applauded distilleries, the absolute classics, the bangers and blockbusters of whisky, those that pretty much everyone in the whisky botherer community likes: Springbank of course, but also Clynelish, Ardnamurchan, Ben Nevis, Dornoch, Glengyle, Port Ellen, Brora, Daftmill… more?
Just to their left are the ones which have a great reputation for quality, but are maybe not as universally loved, whether for a lack of consistency, lacklustre official bottlings, or maybe a weird marketing strategy. Macallan springs to mind of course, as well as Ardbeg, or maybe Highland Park. I personally would also include Bowmore in this category. Oh, how stunning can Bowmore be when Beam-Suntory has had little say in it… that’s a discussion for another time though.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, on the far left, are the distilleries that are, well, let’s say, rarely up to snuff. This might be a bit more personal and more up for debate, but I would for example include such distilleries as Jura (I’ve never ever liked a Jura, even the 30yo+ indies), Abhainn Dearg, maybe (the now defunct) Speyside, or Tamnavulin. I’m sure that some of you will rise in the comments telling me how much of an idiot I am, and you’d probably be right, but I’m entitled to my idiotic opinion. This is the internet after all.
With these three categories, the very top and the very bottom of the Scotch whisky quality bell curve (patent pending) I’d say that we’ve covered maybe 20 distilleries out of the close to 150 that exist. That’s the whole concept of a bell curve after all : the vast majority of entries sit comfortably in the middle.
It’s here that, for me, there lies a big part of the fun of buying and tasting Scotch. Distilleries you know are decent to good nine times out of ten, which pretty much nobody lists as their favourite, but which can surprise you greatly every once in a while, in either a good or bad way. Often, these surprises come in the form of an independent bottling. By digging in this part of the whisky world, you can find gems to impress or even maybe surprise your fellow whisky friends. Phrases like “Look at this Teaninich”, “You have to taste this Blair Athol” or “You need to seriously check out Glenrothes” are not commonly heard in whisky circles, but when someone says something like that, it’s often worth listening to them. Two of my pet distilleries are in this category: Linkwood and Glen Ord.
It’s not the marketing department at Diageo or any fancy looking bottles that caught my interest with these distilleries; it’s the liquid. Purely and solely the liquid. More often than not in such cases, one has to thank the independent bottlers. They’re the ones sourcing special casks from distillers who only think of whisky as an ingredient in a blend.
I’m writing this preamble before flying to Leith for the second edition of the Independent Spirits festival. You’ll definitely hear about it in my next review - insert spoiler courtesy of future Ainsley: it was a peach of an event! - because festivals such as this one, or any other one sporting independent bottlers for that matter, are such a great occasion to try these seldom seen malts.
I know that for some of you in far flung parts of the globe, being able to taste before you buy is a bit more tough, sometimes nigh on impossible, but I still would advise you, especially if you’re starting to really get into this whisky business seriously, to dip a toe in the vast ocean of lesser known malts bottled by indies. You will find some gems for sure. Try them at a festival or in a bar if you can, or if that is indeed impossible, trust online whisky friends, or independent whisky review websites.
I have one in mind.
Review
Miltonduff 2006, 11yo, released for Cadenhead’s 175th anniversary, 300 bottles charged from a single ex-bourbon hogshead, non chill-filtered, natural colour, 56.4% ABV
£42 paid at auction, available on secondary only
If you’ve been reading these pages for a while, you might start to have come to learn that when I review an old Cadenhead’s bottling, it’s one I’ve acquired through my local auction website, and that it most likely came from Italy. If the transalpines don’t want their whisky, I’ll take it off their hands no problem.
Miltonduff’s main reason to be is to supply Pernod Ricard with enough malt whisky to produce boatloads of the Ballantine’s blend. It was for this reason expanded more than once during its long lifespan, and is now capable of making close to 11 million litres of alcohol every year. It is said to produce a light and fruity malt, and in my humble opinion shines when left to age in a quiet cask.
I’ve had this bottle open for quite a while, and I’ve enjoyed dramming from it throughout the years. It’s time to give it a proper review.
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
A typically independent-fuelled Speysider
Nose
A weirdly industrial nose at first, unlike anything I remember getting in the past from this whisky. But it’s probably been a few months… I quite like it though; leaking oil in a gas station and engine fumes. Then the expected fruits appear: pears in syrup, sweet mirabelle plums and lemon glazing. A wee bit herbal as well, like broccoli stalks or raw carrot. Creamy oats, black sesame paste and pistachio filling. A whiff of pastis as well.
With water: more ripe citrus, and waxier, with waxy lemons and bergamot in fact. Synthetic candles, margarine, coconut cream.
Palate
Quite a pleasant, typical Speysidey arrival, bright and fresh yet sweet and creamy. Malty, with a somewhat spicy, white pepper kick to it on the finish.
With water: it becomes creamier and cleaner, and that waxy, fake candle side appears as well.
The Dregs
This is exactly why I love indies. Such a profile seems so close to the distillate, yet you will seldom see any official bottling come close to it. It’s always puzzling to me how the owners of a distillery are often the ones who will try to hide its profile and uniqueness. I guess it kind of makes sense when you think about it, they have much more volume to shift, and as such cater to a wider spectrum of people and palates.
That’s kind of an irrelevant point considering Miltonduff, which basically has no official core range, despite being one of the biggest distilleries in the country. Indeed, the expansion announced by Chivas is rumoured to be almost completed, bringing the capacity for Miltonduff from an already very respectable 5.5M LPA to around 15M LPA. Surely, they could set aside some stocks to bring us a naturally presented 12yo no?
In the meantime, we’ll do as we always did, rely on the indies.
While we do so, this time around let’s listen to some King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, with their song Witchcraft, from their 2023 album called Petrodragonic Apocalypse ; or, Dawn of Eternal Night : An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation. I guess they had to print vinyls, that title won’t fit on a CD.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF
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What’s your own personal top distilleries?
At the point of this article’s publication, Miltonduff doesn’t appear in the Dramface Top 40.
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