So I was going to take a month off for a “dry January”, but then I found myself fighting, resisting, scolding, and even punishing myself for even thinking about the next gorgeous pour. Finally, I remembered that I’m having an old friend visit from across the pond this coming week. There is no way we’re not going to dip into my collection. So I dropped this self-inflicting farce. Thankfully January is a short month anyway [only four days!]. Today I’m back for my self-guided tasting, picking up exactly where I left off with the Cask Explorers advent calendar Emerald Edition, pulling out [only] its third dram! Yes, I know that you’re supposed to finish this before Christmas, but I am on a special journey here, so who cares! So let us find out what’s in store today, but first, we need music! Now playing: Rafael Anton Irisarri – Agitas Al Sol.

Today’s surprise comes courtesy of Miltonduff, which I haven’t tried before. This is a Speyside distillery located near Elgin, founded in 1824 and currently owned by Pernod Ricard. Although it produces a few single malt brands, such as Mosstowie and Glenlossie, most of its spirit goes into blends, as a main component of Ballantine’s. This particular dram is bottled by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers (MSWD) in their Càrn Mòr range for their Strictly Limited series. It was distilled in 2009, matured for 12 years in a single ex-oloroso sherry butt, and presented at 47.5% ABV as an integrity bottling [no colour or chill-filtration]. A proper way to showcase a whisky. I was initially going to compare it against another Càrn Mòr bottling (I was going to pop a cork on a Glenrothes), but at the last minute decided to pair it against something I was very familiar with so that I could really pick up on the differences and the tiny details. The Balvenie 12-year-old sounded like a good choice for this task, but its DoubleWood from the core range has a second maturation and is only bottled at 40% ABV, so it just wouldn’t stand up to a single-cask whisky. So I reach for a Singel Barrel bottle of The Balvenie, bottled at 47.8% ABV, which deserves an integrity star, as it is not chill-filtered and uncoloured. This is also a Speyside single malt from Dufftown, owned by William Grant & Sons. This comparison, I think, is pretty fair. The only [major] difference is that The Balvenie came from a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel [mine is Cask #21233] instead of an ex-oloroso sherry butt. So, I guess the contrast should be clear.

The Balvenie is pale gold in colour, fresh and crisp on the nose, and there are green apples and papaya in the midst of grassy straw. With water, it retains the nose, becoming slightly thinner on the palate, with a mellow and light sweetness and a bit of woodsiness coming from the oak. I have compared this Single Barrel in the past against the standard DoubleWood [see this writeup], and it was a clear winner between the two for all the [obvious?] reasons. It holds all the characters of an ex-bourbon barrel but is not overpowering at that – it’s just a great ex-bourbon single malt. Too bad that David Stewart [The Balvenie’s Malt Master] still allowed someone to add E150A. What for? Was it perhaps of pale straw in colour? If so, it would have matched its lovely taste. It would be fair at £60 a bottle. Let’s see how it stands up to Càrn Mòr‘s choice. Right away, from the burnished copper colour to the scent of sherry on the nose, combined with stewed and dried fruit, this single malt is rounder and thicker on the palate, with a few darker notes of burnt caramel around the edges of my tongue. With water now, some honey’s coming through, but it retains the richness, which is almost chewy. It’s not a sherry bomb, and I don’t taste “the Christmas,” but it’s a solid evidence of what this workhorse of a distillery delivers for the blends. I am indeed intrigued and very much surprised by what it offers. I think that you can find this bottle also for about £60 quid. But as I said, it’s strictly limited, and there are only 1355 of these around.

So there you have it, folks, another excellent pairing. Just as expected, the significant difference between the two was in the maturation process, in which ex-bourbon and ex-sherry really played their special part. I don’t think I am partial [yet] to either of the barrels, but I must say that, overall, the Càrn Mòr‘s dram was slightly better in the richness of the taste. If I were to be offered another dram of either of the whiskies, I think I’d ask and finish off with Miltonduff again. With that said, I will proclaim the Càrn Mòr Miltonduff 2009 as the winner of this round, and I’ll seek out another taste of this distillery again.

---

Correction as of October 21, 2023 – The Balvenie does not have added colouring. I’ve updated the stats, removed irrelevant comments, and left the past thoughts crossed out in the original post. I am not sure where I have picked up the wrong information in the past.