Today Millburn for Valentine's Day


February 14, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today Millburn
(Valentine's Day special, ha)

Picture from this admirable little website, millburnwhisky.

It's certainly no longer very common for us to come across Millburn series that we haven’t yet tasted, even if it’s just two of them like today. It’s true that we’ve always found Inverness’s third (but historically first) distillery somewhat chaotic, and we’ve sometimes wondered if enthusiasts only sought out its bottles because it closed in 1985 (and was partly demolished in 1988), following in the footsteps of its two "sisters" Glen Albyn and Glen Mhor (1983), which tend to have a higher reputation over at WF. That said, we do have friends who still hold a very high opinion of Millburn’s whiskies—it has to be said.

Millburn 12 yo 1983/1996 (59.1%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

An incredible series at the time, which could house anything from pure wonders like dazzling young Port Ellens or St. Magdalenes to offerings much closer to kerosene, as indeed with certain Millburns we’ve had the pleasure of tasting. Let’s see what this one has to say; we’ll ensure it gets ample breathing time before proceeding… Colour: white wine. Nose: it kicks off with a surprising combination of mashed banana and soot, accompanied by metal polish and foliage in the background. There’s almost a greasy side (think engine oil, but gently so), followed by a touch of potpourri. Earth, rubble. With water: it’s truly austere—you’re left with the impression of mowing the lawn with an old motorised mower spluttering a bit of oil. You get the picture? Mouth (neat): quite bitter, very herbal, and vastly different from what the nose had promised. Incredibly rough! It’s like biting into a bitter orange—peel and all. Everyone’s done that at least once in Andalusia (guilty as charged). With water: there’s a faint glimmer of fruity hope, centred around orange ice cream with cinnamon. Otherwise, it remains extremely austere. Finish: long, with the orange taking centre stage, phew. Comments: I can’t shake the feeling that quite a few older malts were ultimately saved by oranges, not just Dalmore. Ha.
SGP:361 - 80 points.

Millburn 1981/2006 (46%, Mackillop’s Choice, sherry wood, cask #355)

With a charming wee typo, it claims this was distilled in the Speyside region. Well, after Forres, and last time I checked, it’s no longer Speyside, but let’s just say it’s all Speyside anyway—except Islay, n’est-ce pas. Sister cask #353, bottled at cask strength by Mackillop’s, wasn’t half bad three years ago (WF 88). Colour: gold. Nose: more buttery, yet still echoing that impression of mashed banana, with additional yellow fruits such as pears and plums. There’s also a lovely herbal citrus liqueur vibe, somewhere between Bénédictine and Mandarine Napoléon. Then it evolves into yellow Chartreuse and candied citron, in the most exquisite way. Gorgeous beeswax, truly beautiful—civilised a thousand times over compared to the Cadenhead. Mouth: oh, absolutely! These citrus notes wrapped in beeswax and honey are superb. There’s a hint of Earl Grey tea but also a livelier, sharper citrusy edge, closer to lemon. As is often the case, the 46% strength works perfectly. Finish: long, becoming a tad more herbal now. Or wait, there’s a touch of myrtle liqueur too. Comments: a stunning Millburn, and it’s not impossible that its two decades in the bottle have softened it slightly—thankfully, for the better as is often the case.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

(Thanks Geert)

Check the index of all Millburn we've tasted so far