30/10/2023 Miltonduff

Miltonduff-Glenlivet 1974/1990 (46%, Brae Dean Int. imported by Moon Import The Birds, Hogshead, C#1538, 600b, b#103): nose: the most pleasant mix of juicy Golden apple and old copper coins, followed by shiny brass buttons, polished to blinding levels. Further onward, we have brass doorknobs, and honey-glazed, pan-seared hazelnuts. That is not all, although we remain in waxy fields: rags, stained with drying furniture wax, or car polish, encaustic, and oily apple pips, followed by polished boots. We still have some brass, yet it slowly moves to the background, now. The second nose is more subdued, or integrated beyond recognition, to use a better phrase. The apples morph into indistinguishable citrus (and the foliage that goes with it), fruity, acidic, yet also vaguely bitter, and that is augmented with ink. Pink or purple ink. Mouth: the attack is very metallic, and a tad green (meaning: plant-like, not immature). In other words, this has a clear-if-gentle bitterness, and a freshness too. Were it a smidgeon stronger, one would call it peppermint; as it stands, it is merely eucalyptus oil, or unripe-citrus foliage. The second sip confirms the metal: tin caps on soda bottles, copper lids on jam jars (marmalade jars, more accurately). Soon, that is joined by candied citrus peel, in a bitter Seville-orange-marmalade way. Indeed, it is never unpleasant, but it is well bitter. The texture, by the way, is closer to oil than to wax, at this stage. Later on, freshly-lacquered wood rocks up, bold, peppery, waxy, and bitter. Finish: boom. At this ideal strength, it has an adequate bite, yet that does not overshadow lovely notes of citrus. This time, alongside foliage, we have shaddock pomelo, yuzu, oroblanco, and Kaffir lime. The palate's bitterness makes a comeback, after a couple of minutes, and materialises in the form of crushed quinine tablets, which is rather surprising. Might it be lime tonic? The following gulps increasingly put the emphasis on quinine, too. Oh! it might be Alka-Seltzer or Aspirin, but it is definitely crushed tablets of some kind, equally chalky as it is bitter, neither of which is meant in a derogatory fashion: it is also balanced just right. Comment: from shiny brass to citrus, to crushed quinine tablets. These Moon bottlings are legendary for good reasons, not only because they have the best-looking labels in whisky's History. As so many of them, this is a corker! 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)