Showing posts with label 8 Years. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 8 Years. Show all posts

Millstone 8 Years Review


The Bottle I have is similar but does not mention "American Oak" on the Label!

“The Oaky Dutchman”

Country: The Netherlands
Brand: Millstone 
Type: Single Pot Still Malt Whisky 
Age: 8 Years
ABV: 43 %
Date: 11/06/2014

Colour: Chestnut. Quite dark for its 8 years.

Nose: Sweet with a clear Virgin Oak influence. I find Barley, lightly Charred Oak, New White Wood Furniture, light Honey, Vanilla, Apricot Marmalade, Toffee, Butterscotch, light Varnish, Orange and Nut Shells. I do not get the clear Dairy tones that I found in the 5 Years Expression. The three years extra in the Cask do make a difference. The Nose is okay but not overly exciting.

Palate: Toffee, Caramel and Sweet Syrup at first but the Oak takes control quickly. I also find Cereals, light Honey, light Orange, light Coconut Milk and light Spices.

Finish: Middle-Long and mainly Sweet with Syrup, Custard, Milky Way, slightly Charred Oak, Cereals, Citrus, Nuts and a sprinkle of White Pepper.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose the Wood retreats and makes room for Malt, Honey and Dried Apricots. Palate and Finish do no benefit from the added Water.

Rating: 81.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20  - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5


General Remarks: The Zuidam Distillery was founded in 1974 by Fred van Zuidam and his wife Helene and is currently run by their sons Patrick and Gilbert. It is located in Baarle-Nassau on the Dutch-Belgian border and is the only Distillery in The Netherlands that ferments, distills, ages and bottles at its own premises. Next to Malt Whiskies, Zuidam also produces Rye Whisky, Gin, Rum, Genever and Liqueurs. The name Millstone derives from the Windmills that are used by Zuidam to mill the Malted Barley. The Millstone 8 Years I'm tasting today was Double-Distilled and likely aged in a mix of New American White Oak and Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks. It was distilled in February 1995 and bottled in August 2012. Zuidam uses small Oak Casks and their storage in Warm and Dry Warehouses will guarantee a quicker maturation of the Whisky but also leads to a higher Angel Share of around 5% per year! The Millstone 8 year was sold at around 90 US Dollars. Apparently, the 8 Years isn't part of the current Millstone line-up anymore.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: After having tasted Millstone's 5 - and 8 Years Expressions, I can safely say that the use of small casks really speeds up the maturation process. After "only" 8 years in the cask, this Dutch Spirit has the colour and the wood influence that you would normally expect of a much older whisky. I must admit I liked the 5 years a tad better as the Distillery Character had more chance to present itself. In the 8 year old I find the Oak influence a bit too strong, more so on the Palate than on the Nose. But I will take into account that this is a young Distillery that is still experimenting with its possibilities. I'm sure they will find their way in the long run as the Zuidam distillery certainly knows how to produce new spirit. I'm already looking forward to try other expressions of this Dutch Distillery.

Jan van den Ende                                                               June 2014

Wambrechies 8 Years Review



Country: France
Brand: Wambrechies
Type: Single Malt Whisky 
Age:  8 Years
ABV: 40 %
Date: 18/12/2013

Colour: Golden

Nose: Young and slightly edgy Industrial Alcohol, Sugar, Green Branches, Pine Needles, Nut Shells, Toffee, light Honey, Coarse Grains, Margarine and hints of Meat and Metal. Not too attractive I'm afraid.

Palate: Watery and Thin, Gin or Dutch Jenever, Pepper, slightly Bitter Green Wood, Toffee, light Cloves and Plastic.   

Finish: Short, Sugary Sweet with a bit of Margarine, Menthol, Perfume, Pepper and Plastic.

I added a bit of Water and the Nose gets a little more neutral with Grains, Aniseed and a far hint of Green Apples. On the Palate and in the Finish however the spirit completely loses the characteristics of a whisky.

Rating: 68.5

Nose: 17.5 - Taste: 17 - Finish: 17- Overall: 17


General Remarks: The Claeyssens de Wambrechies Distillery was founded around 1817 by Guillaume Claeyssens and is located in the town of Wambrechies, close to Roubaix. The distillery is a protected historical monument. Originally, their main product was Jenever but in 2000 the Distillery started to produce Single Malt Whisky. The 8 Years was introduced to the market in 2009. There are also 3 and 12 Years expressions available. The 8 Years sells at around 35/40 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: This is my second French made whisky and again I am quite disappointed. This Wambrechies spent 8 years in Oak Casks but the spirit was not able to extract any fine Aromas or Flavours. Or the Casks did not have any to give. As it is, this Wambrechie smells and tastes more like Gin or Jenever than like Whisky. And when compared to its European mainland competitors (Holland, Germany, Switzerland) it falls a bit short as well. At least in my opinion. I'm optimistic that at some point in time, European mainland whiskies will catch up somewhat with their Scottish brothers in terms of flavour and overall quality. But there's still some ground to be covered!

Jan van den Ende                                                        December 2013