Miltonduff 6yo, 2011-2017, The Barreliers

Tasting Notes

ABV

62.1%

Region

Speyside

Bottling

The Barreliers

Cask type

1st-Fill Bourbon Barrel (#800520, 211 btl.)

Nose

The nose starts off with a potpourri of vanilla, apricots, yellow apples and bananas. Lingering notes of toffee arrive, nicely mixed with blossom honey and a hint of oak spice in the back. The alcohol is already well integrated and not pungent at all.

Palate

Sweet and fruity on the palate with a delicate mix of mainly apples and apricots. Now the high alcohol content becomes noticeable: very warm with a white pepper note, ginger spice and a hint of dry oak. Oily and creamy with vanilla and acacia honey. Very mouth-filling!

Finish

The finish is long, warm and creamy with caramel and honey. Becomes drier on the tail with oak and wood tannins.

With water

There's less fruit on the nose when a splash of water is added. Still sweet with vanilla and caramel. Seems to be a bit fresher with a hint of citrus in the back. Still sweet and fruity on the palate, accompanied with white pepper and oak spice. Less oily and creamy with milk chocolate and a hint of blossom honey. Less warming, too. The finish is a bit shorter and fairly dry with oak, tannins and pepper.

Comments

This young Miltonduff is very strong which one would expect due to its high alcohol content. But the first-fill Bourbon barrel provides beautiful, almost tropical fruit notes, which complement nicely with the sweet vanilla and the toffee/caramel flavours to a harmonious dram. This is kept in a beautiful balance by the oak spice. Despite the 62%, abv this one tasted much better to me neat than diluted. A well-chosen, young, wild but mature looking single malt.

I thank The Barreliers for the complimentary sample and the photograph!