Celebratory Millburn Rare Malts and Mill Burn Pure Malt

Welcome to our official hundredth tasting note on Whisky Odyssey. The purpose of this blog is to every now and then switch between new and regularly available whisky, and delve into the past. Single malt whisky and other variants that almost go extinct, that is what we love to write about. For a few months already, this sample of a rare “Mill Burn” has been looking at me from the shelf. And then I knew: you are the right choice for my centennial. Together with one of the biggest giants ever to be bottled from “Millburn”: the vintage 1969 35 years old in the Rare Malts Selection.

 We took out the “Rare Malts: Facts, Figures and Taste” by the late Ulf Buxrud to shine some light on the past of Millburn, one of the now closed three distilleries in Inverness, capital of the Highlands. Is it not extremely weird that in this day and age, every island and peninsula and glen has a distillery, but Inverness did not resurrect Glen Mhor, Glen Albyn or Millburn, at least in name? Let alone start something completely new. Maybe the charming city does not desire it?

Millburn was established in 1807 and underwent a rocky start with a lot of ownership changing hands, and the distillery at times being called Inverness Distillery too. Ultimately, the distillery was closed due to outdated equipment during the massive closures happening in the 1980s. Indeed, we read in Buxrud’s book that Inverness did not want a distillery in populated area anymore. All this combined resulted in the demise of the Inverness operations. Part of the buildings were, this being a famous trivia question, turned into a restaurant.

The Mill Burn Pure Malt Scotch Whisky, 12 years old, bottled at 43 % abv

Makeup: Bottled in a pear shaped 750 ml bottle that appears to be an official bottling, but in any case the label mentions the Glasgow based Macleay Duff (Distillers) Ltd (MclD). In all honesty, the sample on the table is probably not a single malt. Indeed, The Whisky Exchange for instance categorizes this as a blended malt whisky (whereas in older days, this was coined Pure Malt).

General impressions: Strong on Old Bottle Effect (OBE) with lots of vegetable soup on the forefront. A little metallic too, but underneath all that there is certainly a spicy delight. I don’t know exactly when this was bottled, but I would not be surprised if we are talking about a 1970s expression here. This could mean that it shares roughly the same vintage as the “1969” we are going to taste after this one. The taste is a big contrast with the aroma, being very tropical fruity, only to make room immediately after that for a metallic note that tastes very sweet, like candy. 

Firm body but easily accessible, so someone in the 1970s drinking this would not be too shocked switching from a trusted blend to this pure malt. It is very soft and gentle, leaving your tongue covered in white sugars. The 43 % made it stand the test of time; my sample definitely came from a well-preserved bottle. With a drop of water, it becomes very nostalgic, old malty whisky.

Conclusion: Lovely experience, drinking such an old whisky that has been perfectly kept alive. The OBE is a bit cloaking, but other than that this is a very decent whisky. Worth hunting for on auction.

Score: 86 points

Millburn 1969, 35 years old, bottled at 51,2 % abv

Makeup: One of the very last releases in the Rare Malts Selection, this being bottled in 2005. Sadly, I do not have more information on casks used for this production.

General impressions: The last time I tasted this whisky, is when I parted with 10 cl from my open bottle to Thijs Words of Whisky. He was quite enthusiastic about this Millburn (understatement). My bottle is long gone now, and after this tasting note, only 8 cl remains in my cabinet. I will cherish it. When I stick my nose in the glass, many different aromas hit me all at once. A sherried and jammy character, molasses, dunnage warehouse, and – at the other end of the spectrum – overcooked potatoes (or just the water they boiled in). Extremely complex, almost impenetrable, but hey: we are experienced geeks here! We march onwards! Good grief, what a whisky is this!

Taking a sip is an almost orgasmic experience. Contrary to many RMS-bottlings, this Millburn is easy to drink undiluted. The tongue is immediately covered with barley sugar, sweet raisin and minty wood. If there ever was whisky NOT feeling a bit tired after 35 years in oak casks, this is the one.  Wood impact is minimal, just enough, leaving you with a juicy but oily feeling in the mouth.

With water, I am reminded of old Clynelish (early 1970s) and the 30 year old Glen Ord we recently tasted. Indeed, as soon as this idea takes root in your head, you cannot miss the waxy notes and honeyed delight that this Millburn has in abundance. The water (just a few drops) also gives me a feeling of tea leaves just being dipped in boiling hot water and then left on the counter for your partner to clean up later. The wood on the taste manifests a bit stronger now, but with nice bitter tones. The finish carries a lot more punch all of a sudden. Well, I can keep on writing, but this Millburn takes a week to unveil all its secrets. Complexity overload.

Conclusion: Stunning, brilliant, vibrant old Highland Single Malt Whisky (all in capitals). A fitting goodbye to the Rare Malts Selection, that was replaced by the Special Releases (not the cartoonish series of today, but in those early days equally brilliant if not better than the RMS). Perhaps one of the best ever releases in the RMS. What do you think? I am upping my score with one point since the last time I tasted it.

Score: 95 points

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