MILLBURN 1969 35YO - RARE MALT SELECTION

Today, the city of Inverness at the head of the Great Glen has no distilleries, but it hasn't always been like that... and up until the around the mid-1980s there were 3 distilleries operating in the city - those were Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor and Millburn.

Today though, the closes distillery is either Glen Ord Distillery to the North West or Tomatin Distillery south of the city on the A9 road, both located about 15 miles from Inverness.

I recently had the opportunity to try the 35yo Millburn from the much acclaimed Rare Malt Selection, in fact I did not only try it at the tasting, I also ended up with a small dreg to enjoy in the comfort of my own 4 walls, which means I can give this oldie the extra attention it deserves...

Millburn Distillery in the 1970s - photo by R. Hume from Facebook Millburn Community

Millburn 1969 35yo (b.xx.04.2005), 51,5%, Rare Malt Selection

Colour is light amber

Nose:

Fermented fruit and especially by on apple and banana. Quite some vanilla, citrus and some ginger in there too along with some smoky notes (faint chimney). After a while some very musty/old cupboard notes comes through... The whole thing is like a fruit bowl left in the sun for too long - if that makes any sense ;-)

Taste:

This is old whisky 101, lovely tropical fruit... melon, pineapple, peach and oranges and very honey'ed. There's marzipan, hints of nutmeg, cointreau. Gets very citrussy mid palate for a couple of seconds but then recedes and leaves a very noticeable and lovely smoky/ashy trail.

What a whisky! Grrrrrrreat stuff!

91/100!