Review 262. ‘Older’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘better’. Until it does

Miltonduff 26 yo (1998-2025) by The Whisky Jury. Refill hogshead matured, 260 bottles, 48.3% ABV

This week, I’ll be discussing the last of the samples I brought back from  the Liquid Leuven festival late January, and fair to say it’s certainly not the least. The Whisky Jury is a Belgian indie bottler that’s been taking the scene by storm in recent years, releasing some jaw droppingly good stuff. You might remember how I first reviewed one of their releases back in September of last year, when I talked about a very interesting Swedish whisky from Agitator. And if you don’t, I’m fairly certain Serge over at Whiskyfun has reviewed a fair bit of their releases.

Let me immediately add here that a lot of what the guys at TWJ release tends to be out of my budget comfort zone. They don’t shy away from releasing 20+ year old single cask releases, all at cask strength, and as a consequence, these tend to be not exactly cheap. That isn’t a criticism on their part in any way, merely a comment on the state of the market anno 2026.

All the more reason to jump at the opportunity to try a few samples when their table (and their bottlings) crossed my path at the festival. This one though, a 26 year old Miltonduff matured in a refill hoggie, was deliberately put in a sample bottle and brought home. The reason being that, fun as festivals are, your palate isn’t always in peak condition as you tend to be engaged in conversation and / or are usually a fair number of drams in in any case, making it often a bit difficult to fully assess, appreciate and enjoy what’s in the glass.

Miltonduff 26 year old (1998-2015) by The Whisky Jury. Refill hogshead matured, 260 bottles at 48.3% ABV. Still available but pricy at app. €260

I already talked about Miltonduff back in November, stating it was a bit of an undiscovered gem on Pernod Ricard’s crown, and in my humble opinion, I feel their light, delicate fruity – estery style is akin to what Mannochmore or Glenlossie provides to Diageo. These malts tend to thrive when matured in less ‘impactful’ casks, be it 1^st or refill bourbon barrels or refill sherry casks. Or, in this case, refill hogsheads, which doesn’t specifically state which liquid it held previously, but generally speaking it tends to be made out of former bourbon barrels. I had high hopes for this one and, spoiler alert, it didn’t disappoint…

Nose

Creamy, fruity with lots of melon notes (more Charentais than Cantaloupe), banana and banana foam and a slightly sweet lemon-sorbet vibe. Some herbal notes of parsley and soft mint. Inviting, subtle, layered and nuanced. Everything here just clicks.

Palate

Ooh! Brilliant! Creamy and lactic, but also a wonderful note of ‘speculoos’ (Biskof cookies) with a lovely mixture of ginger, soft cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Those sweet baking spices develop into a dark vanilla note, which in turns leans wonderfully well against that herbal minty-parsley notes which transition from nose onto palate ever so nicely. It’s quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes this stand out like it does, but I think it’s the way everything here is just interwoven quite exquisitely… Stunningly good!

Finish

Medium long, with warming spices slowly fading out.

Final thoughts

You’ll have guessed by now that this is on another level! There is just a wonderful harmony to all of this. If the notes could sing it would be like the choir singing Verdi’s Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, as it really is as enthralling, elevating and captivating as a sensory masterpiece!

Now, I get that this expensive stuff. And at €260 just about at the border of what I feel any whisky might intrinsically be worth. And while expensive may well be a relative concept, to put the price into perspective, I do suggest that you take into account that we are still nowhere near Edrington or Whyte & MacKay  territory, or even what Arran, Glengoyne or Ardbeg would expect you to pay for one of their +25 year old whiskies. So, if you ever have the cash to splash and you want something truly delightful, by all means, do take releases like these into consideration. They can be one off follies, likely they will be, but my goodness is this good stuff! I don’t give scores on samples as a principle, but even after a 3 cl sample, I dare say we are well into the 90/100 zone with this one!