I like older Miltonduff for its bright, fruity and bourbonny character, but I’ve never had one as young middle-aged as this Miltonduff 1995 by Malts of Scotland. Note that these new bottlings will hit the Belgian stores after the weekend.
Miltonduff 17 yo 1995 (56,8%, Malts of Scotland 2012, bourbon hogshead, MoS 12033, 192 btl.)
Nose: fresh and summery, with malty notes, peaches and pears. Something milky as well – Oolong Milky tea or banana milkshake. Whiffs of vanilla cream and cake. Marzipan. White flowers. Some hay. Fresh oak. Nice oily notes underneath. Very pleasant.
Mouth: sweet and malty, with a nice oily texture. Without water the alcohol is slightly tangy. Apples, pears and simple syrup. Vanilla cream. Grows a lot spicier over time (pepper, ginger, nutmeg) with some fresh oak. Nice nougat and honey towards the end.
Finish: medium long, spicy with a light oaky bitterness.
Another malt for the summer season. We’re seeing this more than ever: modern whisky that’s faultless yet fairly simple, and seemingly younger than it actually is. The downside is that these whiskies are all quite similar. Around € 75.
Score: 84/100