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

Millstone Peated 5 Years Review

Country: The Netherlands

Brand: Millstone Peated

Type: Single Malt Whisky 

Age: 5 Years

ABV: 40 %

Date: 03/02/2013

Colour: Golden Sunlight

Nose: The Peated Millstone 5 Years is quite similar to its unpeated brother. Both are different from your average Scotch Single Malt. In terms of style these Millstones are closer to some of their "cousins" from a/o Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Like in the unpeated version I find Oat Porridge with Butter and Milk, Light Oak, Apricot Marmalade, light Orange and Custard. In addition I find light Peat, very Soft Smoke, Coconut Milk, Dulce de Leche and Butterscotch. A very pleasant, rich and creamy Nose. The gentle Smoke blends in nicely with the other Aromas. It's remarkable that a Dutch Whisky shows so many Dairy aspects by the way!

Palate: Again, quite similar to the unpeated expression. It's a bit Thin but slightly Oily at the same time. Quite uncomplicated on the Palate with light Vanilla, Toffee, Coconut Milk, light Honey, light Oak, Citrus Peel, light Smoke and light Pepper

Finish: Rather Short and mainly Sweet with Butter, Pastry, Milk, Coconut Milk, light Wood, light Custard, light Pepper and only the slightest hint of Smoke. Dry towards the end. 

No need to add Water to this Millstone 5 years Peated.

Rating: 83

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

This is the More Recent Packaging of the Lightly Peated Expression

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 5 Years Peated is Double-Distilled and aged in a mix of New American White Oak and Refill Ex-Bourbon. 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 Peated Millstone sells at around 70 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: The Millstone Peated 5 Years is in fact a lightly Peated version of the standard 5 Years Expression. It only adds a subtle amount of Smoke that enhances the Nose but does little to change Palate and Finish. Maybe a slightly higher PPM would help to better distinguish this Millstone from its unpeated brother. Next month I will taste another expression of this promising Dutch Distillery!  

Jan van den Ende                                                      February 2014