A Scot on Scotch

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

Millstone

This is the fifth and final entry in a mini-series of reviews covering a range of single malts released by independent bottler, Dràm Mòr. In this final installment, I’m leaving my native Scotland behind and travelling (virtually) to the Netherlands, where this intriguing Millstone single malt was produced just a few short years ago.

Millstone is a Dutch single malt whisky produced by Zuidam Distillers. Back in 1975, Fred Van Zuidam bought land in Baarle Nassau and built a distillery. Though his company initially specialised in liqueurs and Genevers, it began to produce whisky in 1998. Today, the distillery is under the care of Patrick Van Zuidam and produces a range of single malts and ryes using grains that were milled, in traditional Dutch fashion, in windmills.

Distillation takes place in two small, hand-made, copper stills that were specially designed to provide a lot of copper contact, thereby reducing impurities and creating a lighter, fruitier spirit. The maturation process favours virgin oak or first fill casks that previously held bourbon or sherry. The oak casks are stored in a warm, dry environment that encourages a high Angel’s Share of around 5 or 6% per year. That means a lot of interaction between spirit and oak in a relatively short period of time.

I’ve come across Millstone once or twice before but though I enjoyed the experience, each of the two previous drams were peated and very heavily influenced by PX casks. This Dràm Mòr expression, however, looks to be unpeated and matured in a first fill oloroso cask. Here’s hoping for a new epxerience then. The whisky is 7 years old, and bottled at a strength of 53% ABV.

*Full disclosure: the whisky featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

The Whisky

Smell: Starts out quite malty with notes of digestive biscuits and oatcakes. This is not at all like the sherry bomb versions I’ve come across previously. There’s some dry roasted peanuts, then some walnut and now a wee touch of raisins – finally some sherry – but this is balanced with lots of spirit character coming through. Wee bursts of fruitiness with some grapes, some apples and some pears. Even a wee squirt of lemon juice and green olives at one point. Some light white pepper spice.

Taste: After a relatively busy nose, it’s a surprisingly gentle arrival with toffee biscuits, some caramel and some trail mix. More apple, more pear. Agave syrup. A wee bit nutty. A wee bit of honey. Light cinnamon and nutmeg-y spice effect.

Thoughts: The nose is complex, maybe a bit disjointed, though admittedly interesting – and fun – to explore but I found the palate a bit, for want of a better word, weird. It’s a bit peculiar in that the dram feels almost pedestrian and predictable but then releases an odd and surprising burst of funky fruits here and there – which sounds quite good on paper but I’m not sure it really worked as a cohesive whole. In truth, I’m a bit stumped by it but I think that’s OK. I don’t think every review needs to come with a concrete conclusion. Not when whisky itself is such a fluid and variable experience from one moment to the next. Indeed, that’s why I don’t like to score my reviews. To me, scoring a whisky feels a bit like photographing a rainbow in black and white. It simply can’t convey the full beauty or complexity of the experience.

Getting back on track after that somewhat meandering stream of consciousness, I would not term this Millstone a bad whisky and neither would I describe it as a great whisky BUT there’s something about it that makes me wonder if I could grow to love it. Would the elements that seem quirky and off-putting become harmonious and balanced over time? Maybe. Or maybe at the end of the bottle I’d still have an enormous question mark hovering over my head.

Price: £63. I’ve seen some crazy prices for young Millstone over the years so this seems pretty reasonable from Dràm Mòr.

For more about Dràm Mòr visit here

About Whisky Reviews

Contact