For several weeks now, Timo Lambrecht – Keeper of the Quaich since 2016 – has been doing daily tasting videos on Facebook. In these short clips, he introduces different bottles from the rich portfolio of Bremer Spirituosen Contor. One release that caught my attention straight away is a 10-year-old Miltonduff from Douglas Laing’s Provenance series (a product line dedicated to young, vibrant single cask bottlings from all over Scotland). This particular dram has an oppulent sherry cask finish and a raised ABV of 50 per cent. Bremer Spirituosen Contor selected the cask, which gave birth to 370 bottles, especially for the German market. So those among you, who live abroad, might have to take a little detour to get hold of a bottle. I would totally recommend you to go the extra mile, though. Cause this Miltonduff 10yo shows the Speyside-based underdog distillery from its best side: It is classy, complex and super-delicious. It provides a thoroughly awesome single cask experience without burning a hole into your wallet.

by Tobi

Eye: Light brown with a golden glimmer.
Nose: That’s one luscious nose! Thick nougat and chocolate notes mingle with the sweet scent of liquid honey. Then there is the dry spiciness of pulverized pepper corns. And an underlying latte macchiato creaminess. No doubt – The whisky plays for “team chocolate” rather than “team fruit”. But beneath the heavy layers of confectionary, cocoa and coffee, there are also juicy cherries, crisp peaches, zesty lemons and red apples.
Palate: The first sip is sweet and spicy. The malt is quite a bit fruiter on the tongue than it is in the nose. But the chocolate remains strong in this phase of the degustation, too. And so does the honey. I get squashed brambles and milky chocolate. Fresh citrus and soft beeswax. Warm cocoa and old peaches. Runny caramel and light grapes. Crunchy almonds and milk coffee with a lot of foam and sugar. To me, this multi-layered Speysider ticks all the right boxes! Taste? Check. Character? Check. Complexity? Check. And so on …
Finish: A real rollercoaster ride of a finish! While it flows down the throat, this sherried Miltonduff tastes very sweet. Then it becomes darker; the latte macchiato reappears. This time, it is accompanied by soft licorice (a note I really did not see coming). A moment later, the licorice gets pushed aside by light fruits which in return make space for a dusty study note. That one lingers on the tongue for long!

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 10 Years
Cask: Sherry finish
No. of bottles: 370
Alc. volume: 50 per cent
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: ~67.00 Euro
More info: http://www.douglaslaing.com/ (Bottler) ; http://www.bremerspirituosencontor.de/ (Importer)