Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes
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Millburn

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Millburn
Millburn Distillery
Millburn road
Inverness
Inverness-shire IV2 3QX
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date: 1807

If the picture not really represents a traditional distillery, it's because Millburn has been partially destroyed, and the remaining buildings have been altered and are currently used to settle a"Beefeater Restaurant & Pubs"

MillburnOriginally known as "Inverness Distillery", Millburn has been acquired in 1892 by two members of the Haig family.
The distillery has been acquired in 1921 by the gin producer Booth's, and destroyed by a fire in 1922.
Rebuild, it has been bought by the D.C.L (Distillers Company Ltd.) in 1937.
Currently one of the buildings is used to settle a restaurant.
There is an official bottling available in the "Rare malts" collection, and Millburn is still available at independent bottlers.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

Millburn

Rare Malts, 25 years
Age
 25 years
Alcohol percentage
 61,9 %
Bottler
 Officiel
Dates
 Distil: 1975 Bottling: 10-2006
Bottle
 364 of
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links & average quote
 79/100
Millburn 25 rare malts
A very clear and fresh nose. Mix of smoke and acid fruits, green apple, unripe mango. Some tinglings probably due to the percentage of alcohol. Wax touches, vanilla hints.
The very first impession in the mouth is very acid, Green apple macerated in alcohol. The latter is very present and dominating. Quite a quick development on woody notes. Quite an aggressive palate.
The finish is lingering and alternately warm (due to the alcohol) and fresh (due to the acid notes still dominating, just like they were at the nose and in the palate), both fruity and woody, with however a clear domination of the woody bitterness.
79/100
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Millburn

Rare Malts, 35 years
Age
 35 years
Alcohol percentage
 51,2 %
Bottler
 Officiel
Dates
 Distil: 1969 Bottling: 2005
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links & average quote
 89/100
Millburn 35 rm
The nose is deliciously fruity and extraordinary rich and fresh. Wild strawberry, cherry plum peach and vanilla. This is such a nice nose...
In the palate, the first impression is this beautiful fruity smoothness which develops quickly on both slightly woody and slightly acid notes before coming back on fruity smoothness with a touch of nutty aftertaste. What a nice mouth!
The finish is quite remarkable too. However, a longer finish would probably have resulted in a higher score... Fruit all along!
88/100
Colour: old gold
The first nose is quite marked by alcohol, but after a while the tingling due to the probably high percentage of alcohol disappears, to make room for a pleasant mix of roasted malt and a kind of bitterness.
In the palate, presence of alcohol is obvious. Apart from this small hinder, the mouth is pleasantly characterised by the same subtle mix of malt and cashew nut. Very nice balance and nice complexity.
The finish is very long, perfectly in line with the impressions in the mouth.
A great whisky.
88/100
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 Independent bottlings: Millburn
 

Millburn

Un-chillfiltered collection 1983
Age
 17 years
Alcohol percentage
 46,0 %
Bottler
 Signatory
Dates
 Distil: 1983
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links & average quote
 79/100
 
 The nose suggests tar, phenol or mothballs.
The taste is surprising by its richness and sweetness.
Some hints of almond and nuts.
The finish is dry, but warm and soothing.

(la Maison du Whisky)

Hard to imagine that this distillery has become a restaurant since years at nosing this malt. All the aromas who escaped to the chill distillation are wonderful. The finish is short an dry, after the sweetness in the palate. A very nice bottle. Another wonder of the Signatory Un chill filtered collection.  
79/100
During the second tasting, the nose seemed to be dominated by slightly acid smells, partially hidden by the kind of fuzziness due to the non chill filtration. The taste in the palate is rather complex, and also partially dimmed by the filtration method, but extremely pleasant. A rather long but dry finish puts the finishing touch.
84/100
The nose is influenced by slightly acid and medicinal hints. In the palate, some freshness and some hints of citrus fruit but also of dried fruits. The finish is dry and rather long. At the third tasting, this whisky did not really convince me, but when I see the quotation of the two first tastings, I imagine this bottle certainly deserves a new chance.
74/100
The nose is really different from the first times, as it seems to have lost its medicinal notes, replaced by nice fruity ones with some peat on the background. In the palate, the acid hints are still present, with some woody touches. A nice finish, rather long, again dominated by a kind of acidity.
79/100
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Millburn

The Antique Collection, 1979
Age
 17 years
Alcohol percentage
 43,0 %
Bottler
 Signatory
Dates
 Distil: 1979 Bottling: 1996
Bottle
 3188 of 6000 btls
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links & average quote
 83/100
Millburn 1979
A very fruity nose, with a great freshess (green apple), recalling a dry white wine, with a touch of smoke on the background. A light veil with some musty smells adds some complexity to the whole. It makes it a very nice nose. In the palate, this whisky is first rather dry, but it developes quickly but gently on ripe apple hints, with still a touch of very pleasant bitterness. The finish is in the same style the mouth was, and is rather long and complex.
84/100
The nose is relatively fresh, with nice floral notes and some fruity (apple) hints, a touch of smoke and some citrus notes. The mouth is smooth and rich, with notes developing from ripe but slightly acid fruit to malty sweetness. Very subtle and very smooth with honey notes appearing behing fruity impressions. The finish is quite pleasant, although not exaggerated long. A kind of bitterness behind the sweet notes of the palate.
84/100
A very smooth nose, pleasantly marked by sweet fruity notes, a touch of honey followed by discrete nutty hints, or even traces of gentian. Nice development. A pretty complex nose with a gentle balance.
The first impression is quite pleasant but a lack at body seems to appear soon. The mouth is less complex than the nose was. The slightly bitter nutty notes are dominating. Walnut, light woody notes. No trace anymore of the fruity smoothness of the nose.
The finish is very similar to the mouth. Medium length, memory of some sweet bitterness.
These notes are quite different from the preceding ones. Is that due to the fact the bottle is opened since ages? The final quotation is due to a different evaluation method...
74/100
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Millburn

Distilled 1972
Age
 34 years
Alcohol percentage
 46 %
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail
Dates
 Distil: 1972 Bottling: 2006
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links & average quote
 79/100
Millburn 1972
Color: Gold
The first nose is marked by the smell of yeast and hints of metal. There are not many other nuances, even if for the rest it has no aggressiveness or major flaws. It then fortunately evolves into slightly fruity notes.
The mouth does at first not offer much more. Pleasant without major frills, the metal memory of the nose is hard to fade. The mouth is characterized by quite pleasant notes, fresh without being acidic. Not the fruity freshness that is generally so pleasant. Rather bland freshness without much relief at the first sip. Apparently this whisky needs time to reveal himself, because later during the tasting it seems to be evolving favorably to a little more complexity.
The finish is long and fresh, but unspectacular.
79/100
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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