Birthday Booze: Miltonduff 19 year old 1978 Signatory, cask 1683

Yes, it's been three weeks. Yes, I didn't finish my Mathilda Malts. But my birthday came and went without an opportunity to try my trio of special b-day bevvies, so I'll post about each of these first, then I'll finish the Mathilda Malts with a very special pour. Then I have my post schedule to return to!

Batting leadoff, the 1978 sample. This time it's from Chivas's Miltonduff, owned by Hiram Walker. in '78. The sample was pulled from one of ye olde Signatory dumpies filled with coffee-colored sherry cask whisky. Here's a Whiskybase screenshot:

The whisky in the glass indeed quite dark, with a reddish hue. That's my second least favorite color of contemporary whiskies (right behind DiageOrange™), but that chromaticity (sorry) in dusty bottles still thrills me. So how's the actual whisky?

Distillery: Miltonduff

Current owner: Pernod Ricard

Owner at time of distillation: Hiram Walker & Sons
Independent bottler: Signatory

Range: Vintage Collection

Age: 19 years (23 January 1978 - 14 February 1997)

Maturation: Sherry Cask
Cask #: 1683
Outturn: 180 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 59%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose begins with a swirl of semisweet chocolate, walnuts, mothballs, and old wood. The latter two notes shift to dunnage after ~30 minutes, as wet stones, dried cherries, and coffee grounds appear. Nocino and tobacco rumble in as the palate's bass notes, with limes and dunnage entering as the treble and mid. With time, the whisky picks up hints of wood smoke and barrel char. It finishes with tobacco, sour cherry liqueur, and ash, more bitter than sweet.

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL of whisky

Maple, dried apple, golden raisins, and wood spice fill the nose. The palate turns extremely woody: sawdust, pulp, resin, tannin. In fact, this is a 19yo bourbon now. Its mouth-drying finish is loaded with bitter oak and clove cigarettes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Like other heavily-oaked old whiskies from around the world, this Miltonduff offers a vibrant, colorful nose as its best feature. The palate holds off any collapse from the wood's weight, until water is added. Bourbon geeks would probably adore this malt with or without dilution. I prefer it neat, where its dusty, fruity highlights bring curves and angles to the drink. At 15 years old, this might have been a hell of cask.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 86 (neat only; drops 10-15 points w/water)