Rare Malts Selection Millburn 1969 Aged 35 Years

Style: Oaky, Fruity and Herbal

Rating: ☆☆- [Highly Recommended]

Nose:

An archaic opening - salted almonds, cashews, oak varnish, armchairs and tobacco leaves at the front. The salty, umami tang lingers while the aroma progresses towards the realm of cereal, potato starch and flour giving a mealy texture. Apricots, bright citrus, almonds and currants enveloped quite comprehensively at the core. More berries and growing creamier at the lower end. Coconut agar-agar pudding, light caramel, figs and dates on top of a polished but solid chilli backbone. Warm golden malt taking a touch of balsamic vinegar to finish off, very nice.

Palate:

Delicious red dates, longans and figs are more pronounced on the palate. The oak sets in rather hard and early, with old wood cabinet, redwood, incense and coconut shreds piling up quickly. Tree sap and pine quietly transmuted into shiny oranges and lemons, and malt thoroughly seasoned by white pepper. Walnuts and lime bitters tonic rolling out on a surprisingly vibrant chilli spice. Ginger, cherries, sawdust and fresh mint dressed around the malty core. Herbal tail.

Finish:

Tofu infused with the malt while red fruits elongating towards an oaky end with green herbs escorting alongside it. Vanilla eclairs. Beautiful green tea, earl grey and strawberries notes staying on.

Thoughts:

I think this is my first Millburn and I probably should not have started from here. But how often you can have a taste of 60s distillate these days? An immensely complex expression which has reached an archaic age and now telling the tales of oak. However, the orange and fresh herbal distillate (I think) has passed the test of time and find a wonderful balance between the wood and cask influences. No doubt a bit advanced and too oaky for some, but it is also sophisticatedly multi-layered and incredibly delicious.

[51.2% | Original Bottling | 1969 Distilled | 2005 Bottled | Vatting | Natural Cask Strength | Bottle Number: 5038 | **-]

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