This is about as random as it gets, I think. Miltonduff, which you don’t come across often and therefore I have no idea what to expect. It’s not overly old and a Speyside whisky, so my money would be on some fruit, lots of barley and a hint of oak.

However, this one is drawn from a white wine cask, which could mean anything. It could be intensely dry, it could be very fruity, it could be slightly nutty or it could just be vile. All depending on what kind of wine cask they used.

It’s called ‘Bunsen burners and burnt capacitators’. Honestly, that doesn’t bode well. Capacitators are generally covered in plastic, and that burning is not something very appealing.

Miltonduff Distillery. Image from whisky.com

Sniff:
Sharp, with a sherry sweetness of fruit and spices, which is strange since it’s a (white) wine cask. Pear and apple, some ripe white grapes.

Sip:
Sharp with a lot of acetone bite. It’s not too strong initially, but grows in intensity and dryness. Fruity, dried pear and apple notes. Quite woody and spicy. Cinnamon sticks and nutmeg.

Swallow:
It’s mostly the woody notes that linger.

It’s actually a rather good whisky for the amount of skepticism I had going in. I’m not a fan of wine casks, and those random Speysiders don’t really tickle my fancy. Also, it being from the SMWS made me a bit worried too. They’re very hit and miss, if I’m fair.

So this thing then. It’s quite nice on the nose. The alcohol isn’t too overpowering, and there’s quite some unexpected scents to be discovered. However, the palate doesn’t offer much news and gets very strong after a while. The finish is rather dull. So, a good start, but not much after that.

83/100

Miltonduff 10 years old, 2004, 1st Fill White Wine Hogshead, 59.8%, SMWS (72.43, Bunsen burner and burnt capacitors)