Miltonduff 1988 (Carn Mor)


”Green Green Grass of Home”


Whisky Review # 923
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Miltonduff 1988 - Distilled on October 27, 1988
Bottled by: MMcK - Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Series - bottled : 06/10/2014
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Cask # 9954 - 144 Bottles
Age: 25 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50.1% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: Around US$ 240 (July 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay for a 25 Year old Single Malt.
Buying Advice: 👍 Certainly if you like your Single Malt Grassy, Citric and Herbal!

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Color)

Nose:

Please give this Miltonduff enough time in your glass before Nosing as it opens very slowly. Even after a while however this Speyside Malt presents itself as an introvert Spirit. Quite Green, Floral and Grassy. The Oak is noticeable but that's no wonder after 25 years. Still, I wouldn't call Cask # 9954 an extremely active one. It's all very laid-back on the Nose. Not unpleasant though.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, German Butter Biscuits, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Grass & Straw, Pear, Apple and Nectarine, Fresh Oak, Fresh Herbs, Green Tobacco, Cinnamon, Pepper and Wet Newspaper.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toffee, Heather-Honey, Bounty Candy Bars, Fresh Pancakes with Golden Syrup, Resin, Wax, Peach-Flavored Yogurt, Floral Soap, Marzipan, Wet Forest, Ginger and Aniseed. A distant hint of PVC Pipes.


Palate:

The Oak and Spices come to the forefront in a combo with Green, Citric and Herbal notes. A nice Salty touch can be noted as well. A mix of Bitter, Sweet, Salty and  slightly Sour notes. It's not your everyday Single Malt profile but I would not mind enjoying a glass every once in a while.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Grass & Straw, Marzipan, Wet Forest, Dusty Oak, Lemon, Grapefruit, Salted Nuts, Pepper, Cinnamon, Aniseed, Nutmeg & fresh Menthol.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Toffee, Wax, Bounty Candy Bars, Green Apple, Nectarine, Fresh Herbs, Green Tobacco, Strawberry-flavored Yogurt, Tutti-Frutti Bubble-Gum, Clove and light Licorice.

Finish:

Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet. Some Citric notes as well. Lots of Dusty Oak & Spices at this point but not over-the-top. The Green, Floral and Herbal notes still shine as well. There's a hint of the PVC Pipes again but it's not enough to consider it to be an off-note. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Grass & Straw, Lemon and Grapefruit, Strawberry-flavored Yogurt, Dusty Oak, Milk-Hazelnut-Chocolate, Marzipan, Floral Soap, Fresh Herbs, Iron Bars, Green Tobacco, Pepper, Cinnamon, Aniseed, Ginger, Nutmeg, Menthol, Tutti-Frutti Bubblegum and light Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

A little Water helps to calm down Wood & Spices although the Finish becomes very Minty. I like it both ways though.

Rating: 86

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience Neat:

Good.

Conclusion:

This distillery was founded in 1824 and is located in Elgin. A huge reconstruction of the distillery took place in 1974. It changed hands various times over the years but since 2005 it is owned by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard). Most of the production is destined for the Chivas blends. More specifically, Miltonduff and Glenburgie form the heart of Ballantine's. The capacity of the distillery is around 6 million litres per year. The only official bottling is the 15 Years.

Quite a different story when compared to today's Mainstream Malt. This Miltonduff centers around Green, Grassy, Oaky, Herbal and Spicy notes. It's not a complicated Whisky and certainly a bit shy on the Nose. But it's got character and that's very important, at least for me. Not for everyday but certainly nice to sip occasionally. If you like Clynelish, this might be an alternative. It's time that the distillery shows a bit more action on the Single Malt market. Such a pity that most Miltonduff is used for second division blends like Ballantine's Finest. 😡

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                            July 14, 2021

No comments: