Review by: The Muskox

This was dram #2 from the other day’s trip to the pub. What, your neighbourhood pub doesn’t have any 70s Millburn? Not even 6 or 7 Broras? Are you living in Antarctica?

This crosses off another new distillery from my list. My friend Paolo is the dean of Millburns, at least on r/Scotch, and at his insistence I’ve finally tried one. This one may be a 43%er, but given my last experience with a 43% Cooper’s Choice, and what I’ve heard about Millburn still being great at lower proofs, and this dram being half the price of the other Millburns on the menu, my choice was clear.

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Distillery: Millburn.

Bottler: The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd..

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 43%, cask strength.

Age: 18 years old. Distilled in 1977. Bottled in 1996.

Cask type: Oak Casks.

Color: Colour added, chill-filtered.

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Nose: Old-school, as expected. Sweet and rich overall – beeswax and lavender jump right out, along with more savoury-sweet notes of aged balsamic and tomato paste. There’s some maltier notes of gingerbread, crusty challah, and pound cake, even a hint of fruitcake. Pralines ‘n’ cream and grilled pineapple rounds. A couple underlying savoury notes – mustardseed and schmaltz.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Arrives sweet and malty, with peach tea, overripe apples, and rum-ish spice, before quickly getting rather more savoury. Beef broth, lit paraffin candles, grilled scallions, pepperoni, and black pepper. Hints of dried dill and fennel fronts.

Finish: Medium-long, continuing the savouriness. More beef broth and coal, as well as salt, fragrant black tea, and something almost musky. Granite dust. More beeswax, subtler here, as well as peach, bread crusts, and untoasted sesame oil.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Beef ‘n’ bees blunderbuss blast”

Notes: What u/paulusgaming promised, this dram delivered – typical Millburn craziness, wax, earth, and tomato. A shape-shifting dram, not particularly cohesive but great anyways. Very tasty at 43%, though some extra strength would have helped sell the whole experience a bit better. It handily outperformed the Miltonduff, in any case.

Final Score: 86.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.