I Know it’s St. Patrick’s day and I should be reviewing Irish whiskey. Seeing that I don’t actually have any Irish whiskey I didn’t review, I’ll acknowledge the Emerald Island’s day, and review a Scotch whisky.
Photo Credit: emanuelcountylive.com
The third cask from this Single Malts of Scotland flight is a 1999 single cask from Miltonduff. Yet another rather obscure Speyside distillery, Just outside Elgin, that’s part of Ballantine’s mix, and is obscure just because the escape rate for casks bound for bottling as single malts is negligible. It has six rather large stills, and gets extra copper contact by under filling the was stills to almost only half their capacity (only 12,000 liters are distilled in a 22,730 liter still).
Photo Credit: thewhiskyexchange.com
Single Malts of Scotland Miltonduff 1999, 17 Years Old, Cask 2012, Yielded 243 Bottles (54.8% ABV, NCF, NC)
Appearance: Gold, thin legs forming slowly.
Nose: A slight fruity sourness at first, cooking porridge, honey, green apples, Moscato wine and a hint of a sea breeze. Some distant allspice in the background, and an almost “green” nose (as much sense as that might make in an aroma).
Palate: WOW! The palate is vibrant with sweet white wine, honey, light spice, cereal and hints of pear cooked in wine with a little bit of a fizzy feel.
Linger: Gentle spice throughout the mouth and gullet, with a dryness inside the cheeks, and a warming effect down to the belly.
Conclusion
The excellent palate more than makes up for the slightly weird nose. Not bad, mind you, just weird. The nose did not have me expecting the vibrancy of the palate, although it did hint at what I’d find there. Is the nose too much of a flaw in this dram? I don’t know, but you might want to taste it before buying. Some of you will be blown away by the palate, others put off by the nose. I can definitely see why the cask was chosen to be bottled, though!