A bottle of Millburn was my first ‘expensive’ whisky, years ago. It unfortunately set a precedent and things have been going in every which way since.

I remember trying that bottle based on a sample Rob Stevens, of De Whiskykoning gave me. It was a 33 year old Blackadder Raw Cask bottling and it just blew me away. It took me a while to decide whether or not purchasing it should happen, but in the end it did. My first ever € 180 bottle of whisky.

Since then, the amount of Millburn whiskies tasted is shockingly low. Of course, there’s not much out there since it’s mostly a blenders product, and the place has been closed for almost 40 years. So, you can imagine me being quite thrilled when I found out there was a sample of this sitting in the Fiddler’s Advent Calendar.

Sniff:
Toast, and some dirt. Slightly earthy with a hint of straw. Smooth with some honey, and a whiff of vanilla.

Sip:
Quite some oak and white pepper. Honey sweetness with a hint of fresh lemon juice and lemon curd. Some vanilla, toast and barley.

Swallow:
The finish is much more malt and oak driven. The honey and lemon curd are still there, with some vanilla. Unripe banana.

Of course, I’ve checked this one out on Whiskybase and I think the average score there (87.40) is on the low side. I find this a thoroughly good whisky, and had a blast tasting it. Also, the combination of flavors make it a very typical whisky of the area and the era, which is also commendable.

89/100