Review 252. Workhorse distilleries, ignored brands and under the radar releases

Part 1. A hidden gem on Pernod Ricard’s crown?

It’s almost becoming a yearly thing of mine to take a closer look at ‘ignored’ or ‘overlooked’ brands and distilleries and give them their due attention. Tempting as it is to chase and discuss the latest Ardnamurchan, a sought-after Springbank or some lovely Loch Lomond, being whisky curious and - promiscuous means I like to occasionally step away from the stuff I know and love and deliberately seek out a few unsung heroes, hoping they don’t come out as downright zeroes. So as the year is slowly but surely drawing to an end, I’ll be once again going through my sample collection, selecting stuff from distilleries that are often easily overlooked or ignored. This week’s pick comes courtesy of my dear co-worker Lena (Slainte mhath!)

The main reason why most of those overlooked distilleries are, well, overlooked, might well be because their owners decided they don’t need much, if any, in the way of official (core range) releases as most of what they produce is used for the blended market. The likes of Blair Athol, Benrinnes, Linkwood, Inchgower, Glenlossie…  (all owned by Diageo), or Allt-A-Bhainne, Braeval, Glenburgie and Miltonduff (under ownership of Pernod Ricard).

The other reason is obviously when a distillery does have official core range releases – however extended or limited – but  is  mainly targeting other customers, be it occasional supermarket customers (the Juras, Glen Grants, Tullibardines, Cardhus and Glen Morays of this world) or those buying a brand or reputation above anything else (Macallan, Dalmore).

In both cases, the end result is basically the same: by lack of a (proper) core range, if we want to get a taste of it – a proper taste, that is, we look at indie bottlers to cater to our needs. But even then, it seems to me as if there are those amongst indie bottlers we prefer over others, as here too there seem to be what I’ll for the sake of things describe a starlets when bottled by  indie bottlers. Indie Caol Ila, Clynelish, Linkwood, Bunnahabhain, Craigellachie,… will very likely sell itself, while others – Mannochmore, Glen Spey, Macduff, Royal Brackla, Tormore… - will perhaps need to rely on those willing to take a step into the unknown, or at least to stray from the beaten path a bit. Add to that last list one of the bigger ‘workhorse’ distilleries from Pernod Ricard: Miltonduff.

Mille Tonnes d’Oeufs 11 yo  (2009-2021). Distilled at Miltonduff and bottled at 58% ABV by the Nectar, app. €80/£67 and still available.

Miltonduff is one of the oldest operational distilleries in Scotland (established in 1824 in the wake of the 1823 Excise Act) and has been one of two key contributors to  Pernod Ricard’s best-selling blend Ballantine’s (the other one being Glenburgie) for almost a century now.

In 2022 Pernod Ricard announced a big investment in both Miltonduff and Aberlour of some £88 million pounds, which will not just expand Miltonduffs capacity (which, at almost 6 mio LPA, is already quite significant but the expansion will add another 10 million to that, making it one of the three biggest malt distilleries in Scotland), but by building a brand new, sustainable distillery adjacent of the current one, Pernod Ricard are making production at both Miltonduff and Aberlour carbon neutral.

The Daily Dram (or sometimes also known as The Nectar of the Daily Dram) is probably Belgium’s best known bottler, and unless I’m mistaken, also its oldest (currently active any way). A subsidiary of importer and distributor ‘The Nectar’ they have markets in several countries across mainland Europe and they are also the company behind one of Belgium’s biggest whisky and spirits festivals ‘Spirits in the Sky’ (which, as it happens, is just around the corner the coming weekend). Next year they’ll be celebrating their 20^th anniversary. This Miltonduff was dubbed ‘Mille Tonnes d’Oeufs’, which is French for ‘a thousand tons of eggs’ (as if the artwork on the label wasn't a dead giveaway), perhaps a bit of a tongue in cheek nod towards the Daily Dram’s early days when they used to opt for silly anagrams and puns for their bottlings (Womb Ore, Hag Rap Oil or Synch Eli, anyone?).

Nose

Apples, peardrops, honeysuckle, linseed oil. Spicy, rich notes too, in the shape of nutmeg, tropical wood and sandal wood. A whiff of greenhouse – herbaceous notes before it lands on a lactic, creamy note. Layered, but harmonious. Flawless and quite lovely, truth be told.

Palate

Mainly what I’m getting is that fruit and honey on a woody-dry, medium full body before the ABV unleashes its full might on my tastebuds. Fair to say a few (generous) drops of water helps. The fruit is still there, but what stands out is mainly a combo of sweet and spice notes: licorice (the kind you find in cough syrup) nutmeg, some ginger… towards the back it turns a bit peppery and woody.

Finish

An echo of the final impressions on the tongue with again those woody and peppery notes.

Final thoughts

The nose is simply excellent and an absolute delight. The palate might be slightly less impressive and a tad more straightforward, but interestingly it’s also not a copy -paste of the nose, which in turn makes for an interesting development and in its own right adds to the overall enjoyment. That combo of fruit and spice and wood notes I seem to recognize from the  other Miltonduffs I’ve had the pleasure of trying.  Based on this sample but also my previous encounters with Miltonduff, I have to take my hat off to them. This is just a rock solid, reliable malt. And honestly it shouldn’t come as a surprise, as a lot of those ‘key contributors’ or ‘corner stone’ malts for the big brands of blended scotch are. When a large component of Ballantine’s/JW Red/insert name of popular supermarket blend here are all but inert, almost neutral grain whiskies, you need something solid and reliable to give the stuff a bit of texture and flavour. Otherwise you might just as well sell it as wodka. And that’s indeed where the Blair Athols, Linkwoods, Glenburgies and Milttonduffs come into play, albeit mostly as unsung heroes. And if their owners neglect to give them their due place in the spotlights, we can again be thankful to the independent bottlers for providing us with the opportunity to taste these distilleries’ full potential. Miltonduff may not have the star quality of Ardbeg, the reverence that befalls Springbank or the public and critical acclaim of Ardnamurchan, but this sample confirmed and delivered. Well worth seeking out!