Miltonduff 14 Year (2010), Cadenhead’s
Whisky: Miltonduff 14 Year (2010), Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 54.3%
Cask: PX Hogshead Finish
Age: 14 Years (Distilled 2010, Bottled Oct. 2024)
Nose: Stewed stone fruits and berries, baking spices, chocolate, ginger and cola, herbal, bay leaves and jerk seasoning.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, syrupy, youthful and spirited, tannic and drying, stewed fruits, malty sugars, brown sugar, herbal, jerk seasoning.
Finish: Medium to long and drying with dried fruits, brown sugar, and hints of ginger.
Score: 6 (78)
Mental Image: Lost in the Sherry Bog
Narrative & Notes: Big and sherried, there were loads of stewed stone fruits and berries bubbling away in a pot with cinnamon and brown sugar. Brownie mix and chocolate chips appeared with a touch of ginger cola, a peppery bite, and hints of jerk chicken dry rub— bay leaves on a whisky? Medium to full-bodied and syrupy with a tannic drying quality and youthful pepperiness that carried on behind loads of dates and jammy, sticky fruits. Cinnamon scones and malty sugars lingered further in with hints of brown sugar and jerk chicken dry rub, as if some herbal layer struggled to emerge from the sherry. The finish was medium to long and drying with dried fruits, brown sugar, and hints of ginger.
Straightforward, the whisky delivered what the label promised— carpet bombing by a PX sherry cask, that left behind a sugary, fruity, crater in the malt. All told, it was not a bad experience, with the alcohol well-integrated and the flavors pleasantly free from any major off notes. There was even an intriguing hint of herbal spice that provided some diversion from all the sticky fruits. Yet, it was a a fairly straightforward and simple affair with the cask stealing the spotlight.
Overall, one of the sherry hounds— well-composed, but not the sort of thing I gravitate toward.
