Greetings World Whisky! I like trying new whisky from distilleries I haven't tried, let alone heard of. Today I have the pleasure (maybe) of trying the first Dutch whisky in my career.
This is Zuidam's 5 year old unpeated offering, presented under the moniker of "Millstone", presumably to fool some people into thinking it's an honest to goodness Scotch. Will it fool me?
Let's find out!
Millstone 5 American Oak
Netherlands, 40% ABV, CF, E150, 60ml sample
Nose: Toffee. Raspberry candy. Honey. Fruit juice, tropical mix. Sweet wood. Birch sap. Very slight soap. Slight balsamic.
Interesting. Lots of sweetness, but in a really intriguingly balanced way that reminds me of Amrut.
Taste: Weak mouthfeel. Mild and sweet. Sweet wood. Tropical fruit juice. Birch sap. Papaya and mango. Hard candy. Brown sugar. Honey.
Apart from being excessively watered down, this is some good stuff.
Finish: Medium length. Slightly drying. Pineapple. Mango. Golden syrup. Barrel char. Light soap.
Lasts surprisingly long for the weak strength.
Summary: Honestly, colour me surprised. I've been putting off this review for ages, assuming that this would end up disappointing like most whiskies from non-traditional whisky producers.
However, this is a really good if somewhat mild dram and only marred by the (wrong) decision to bottle at 40%. At 46% or CS this would compete with Amrut Peated CS and Balcones Single Malt for the best alternative single malt I've tried.
I have a 10 year old French oak matured sample as well that I'll probably review in the near future. So yeah, Millstone, definitely going to have to look up more from them - they have a rye that sounds intriguing as well.
Score: 88/100
Top tier.
Most Similar To: Amrut Fusion.
Buy Again? Probably not this bottle, but more Millstone definitely.