This Miltonduff is the more adventurous pick and might not appeal to as wide an audience as the Strathisla for Van Wees, but that's probably why you should at least try it.
Nose
Bright orange zest which quickly evolves into notes of allspice and lemon yoghurt, as well as a subtle note of prunes and speculoos. There's a good amount of raisins here too. Finally some sweet peaches and blackberries.
Taste
A drying mouthfeel with some spicy pepper, but also aniseed, some very dark caramel and cloves. Then some dried figs and burnt toast, while ending on bitter chocolate.
Finish
Digestive biscuits, vanilla and baked bananas. Long.
BOW (88)
maltfascination.com:
Sniff:
Lots of oak and barley, a hint of baking spices and leather. Some vanilla, peaches, pear skins, sand biscuits, toasted bread.
Sip:
Dry and fierce, with some biting hints of chili pepper. Pear skins, dried apple, peaches. Sawdust and grist. Barley with a touch of vanilla.
Swallow:
The finish is a touch more focused on notes of pastry, but suddenly adds some blackberries.
The combination of the dryness on the palate, the barley notes throughout and the dried peaches and pear skins make for a very interesting whisky. A lot more unique than the Strathisla. The addition of blackberries on the finish helps too!
