Millstone 12 Years Review

“A Dutchman with a Scottish Accent”

Country: The Netherlands

Brand: Millstone Sherry Cask

Type: Single Pot Still Malt Whisky 

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 46 %

Colour: Mahogany

Nose: Sweet, Spicy and Waxy, not unlike one of those famous Scottish Whisky Cakes. I find Dried Fruit (Raisins, Plums), Nuts, Black Currants, Malt, Mixed Citrus Peel, Espresso Coffee, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Vanilla, Milk Chocolate, Banana Shake, Cinnamon, Cloves, slightly Sour Apple Vinegar, Relatively New Oak and Dusty Shelves. The Millstone 12 opens up slowly so give it sufficient time in the glass. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. The Millstone 12 Years Sherry Cask has won some medals and I can see why. The Nose is roughly similar to Sherried Speysiders and it's one of the best Non-Scottish Noses I have encountered so far.
  

Palate: Sweet and Spicy with lots of Orange, Red Grapes, Banana, Raisins, Nuts, light Honey, Caramel, Cinnamon, Pepper and hints of Espresso Coffee and Sherry. 

Finish: Middle-Long, Sweet and Spicy at first but a bit Sour and Bitter after a While. I find Orange, Oak, Wax, Vanilla, Nuts, Cinnamon, Pepper and Clove.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you will get Honey and more Malt, Buttered Cake, Black Currants and Berries. Palate and Finish do not benefit from added Water.

Rating: 85

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

New Pot stills at Zuidam (Picture: Zuidam Distillery)

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 12 Years I'm tasting today aged in Ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks. It was distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2012. On average you will pay 90 US Dollars for this Dutch Single Malt and that's not cheap.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: When I compare this 12 Year Sherry Cask to the younger Millstone expressions it goes without saying that the 12 Years wins a lot of Depth and Complexity, especially on the Nose. On the other hand the Oak tends to take control over the Spirit. This is quite clear on the Palate where Orange and Spice are the dominant Flavours. I would like to see a bit more Balance here. The Finish is the slightly weaker part of this Millstone. I could do without the Bitter and Sour elements. But all in all this is a very good effort by Zuidam. In my view they are way ahead of most of the European Whisky Distillers, excluding the United Kingdom. I would not go that far to state that the Millstone 12 Years Sherry Cask is comparable to the likes of Aberlour and company. But I am sure that this Dutch distillery will get there some day!

Jan van den Ende                                                        September 6, 2014

Dumbarton 1986 Review

“King of Grain”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Lowland

Brand: Dumbarton 1986 (Scott's Selection) 

Type: Single Grain Whisky

Age: 25 Years

ABV: 51.5 %

Colour: Golden Yellow

Nose: Similar to Bourbon but less Sweet. I find Grains, Corn Meal, Charred Oak, Vanilla, Buttered Toast, Fresh Nectarines, Orange, Nuts, Espresso Coffee, light Honey, Heather, Toffee, Nutmeg, Apple Pie stuffed with Raisins and traces of Furniture Wax and Glue. The Alcohol is strong and not fully integrated. 

Palate: Sweet Grains are at War with the Sharp Alcohol. Amongst the debris I find Stone Fruit (Apricot, Nectarine, Pear), Orange, Vanilla, Toffee, Oak, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Licorice and Ginger. 

Finish: Middle-Long, slightly Edgy and Bitter-Sweet with Nectarine, Orange, Honey, Pear, Nutella, Lemon-Pepper, Charred Oak, light Licorice and some Cinnamon. After a while the Furniture Wax from the Nose reappears.

I added a bit of Water and you will find more Corn, Apricot and Toffee on the Nose. The Alcohol retreats and that's a good thing in this case. On the Palate and in the Finish Spices, Herbs and Licorice start to dominate. In the Finish I detect a slightly Sour Vinegar tone. I recommend to add a few drops when Nosing. But better sip it neat.

Rating: 84 

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21

Dumbarton "The Way It Used To Be"

General Remarks: The Dumbarton Grain Distillery a.k.a. Inverleven was founded in 1938 by the Canadian Distiller Hiram Walker. It is located in Dumbarton on the Clyde Coast. When Pernod Ricard took over Allied Domecq they also became the owners of Dumbarton. Unfortunately it was closed in 2002, mainly because the production facility was very old and difficult to modify. Instead, production was transferred to Strathclyde where large investments were made. Dumbarton was known for using Corn instead of Wheat. Dumbarton/Inverleven was demolished in 2005.

The Scott's Selection is a collection of Single Malts handpicked by Robert Scott, the former Master Blender at Speyside Distillers in Glasgow. All Single Malts and Grains in this collection are bottled at Cask Strength, are naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered. The Dumbarton I am tasting today was distilled in 1986 and bottled in 2011. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead and costs around 110 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This was the first time I tasted a Scottish Single Grain Whisky and I think I was lucky with this 25 Year old Dumbarton! When the Distillery was still active, almost all of the production went into the Chivas Regal Blends. There were no official Distillery Bottlings and only a few Indies popped up from time to time. So I was really looking forward to Nose and Taste this Single Grain. In fact I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. If you would mix this mature Dumbarton with Good Malt Whisky you could create a wonderful Blend. But that's Daydreaming of course. Unfortunately I only had a sample so I couldn't test this idea. The Nose is the best part of this Dumbarton. You will find quite some similarities to Bourbon but it also adds some Aromas of its own. The Fresh Nectarine Note stands out. On the Palate there's a lot more Oak influence and the Alcohol is rather strong. Still, if all Grain Alcohol would smell and taste anywhere near this Dumbarton 25, I wouldn't complain so much about Blended Whiskies!

Jan van den Ende                                                         September 3, 2014