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KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar Day 19: Millstone 9 Year Old Single Grain Whisky

Posted on December 19, 2022

BONUS CONTENT: Read Andrew's post on The Single Malts of Scotland Ben Nevis KWM Cask here!

by Evan

After spending yesterday with a certified kosher Single Malt Whisky from Isreal, it is time to move back to a more traditional whisky, right? So let's head to the Netherlands! For Day Nineteen in the 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar, we present to you the Millstone 9 Year Old Single Grain Whisky!

Millstone Distillery’s whisky has been featured three times in previous KWM Whisky Calendars. Back in 2017, the Millstone Oloroso Sherry was behind Door 7. On Day 18 of the 2019  KWM Whisky Calendar, we had the Millstone Peated PX Cask. And in 2020, we started our Whisky Calendar Journey with our own Millstone Rye KWM Cask on Day 1. As you can see from just those three different bottles, Millstone Distillery has range.

The Zuidam Distillery was founded in 1975 in Baarle Nassau, which lies in the southern Netherlands near the border it shares with Belgium The Founder, Fred van Zuidam, had accumulated two decades of previous experience in spirits production before deciding to make a go of it on his own. Under his care, the distillery started by making a line of premium liqueurs using natural ingredients, from grain to fruit to herbs and spices used. This methodology continues to this day, as Zuidam spirits are made with no artificial colouring or flavouring. This goes for all of their products, be it their Cassis Liqueur (which is delicious by the way), Apple Flavoured Gin, Dutch Courage Old Tom Gin, Premium Genever, or Single Malt Whiskies and also Rye Whiskies. Millstone whiskies, and beyond that with the Zuidam line of spirits and liqueurs, can be hard to keep up with.

Zuidam's first experiments in whisky-making started in 1994, and regular whisky production commenced four years later in 1998. Even then, the Zuidam family showed patience, not releasing their first single malt whisky commercially until 2007. The first bottling was a 5 year old. It was also the first release to use the Millstone name, which was a reference to the use of Dutch Windmills to stone-mill the malted barley. Nowadays, the use of windmills is no longer enough to supply all of the grist needed.

Fred’s son Patrick van Zuidam is now in charge of whisky and spirit production at the family distillery, and under his influence, the distillery’s line of whisky has stretched into a variety of different styles and grains, including Rye and three-and five-grain blends. Further experiments in growing their own barley are ongoing with the stated goal of being self-sustainable when it comes to grain soon. On the single malt whisky side of things, the distillery uses long fermentation times as well as a Belgian Brewer’s Yeast for the fermentation itself.

I could find absolutely no information on this specific Millstone bottle we have today. Whiskybase.com doesn’t yet have a listing for it at the time of my typing this. Here is my guess though, going into this whisky blind: even though this is a grain whisky, it will not be a shrinking violet. Indeed, Millstone’s whisky tends to be rich and full-bodied to the point of a near-syrup density. If this 9-Year-Old Single Grain Whisky follows the typical Millstone Zuidam style, it may run counter to many of the younger whiskies that we have tasted in our Whisky Calendar thus far. That is a good thing, for variety is the spice of life. Shall we dive in?

Update: Here is some information on this bottle from Jarka Winters of Craftwork Spirits. Craftwork is the Canadian importer of Millstone and Zuidam Distillery’s other spirits as well. According to Jarka, this whisky was selected for Canada by her and Greg Winters of Craftwork Spirits when they visited Zuidam Distillery this past June. It is a selection from multiple casks and includes whisky made from a mash of rye, malted barley, corn, spelt, and wheat. All whisky in this bottle was aged in virgin oak casks and the batch originally had a strength of around 47% or so before it was decided to bottle it at 46%. Full-sized bottles of this 9-year-old grain whisky should hit the shelves in the near future.

Millstone Single Grain 9 Year 50ml

Full-size bottles available in the near future - hopefully by late February 2023.

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: The virgin oak notes are definitely at the fore. This noses like a combination of 10+-year-old Bourbon mixed with an Arnold Palmer (50% lemonade mixed with 50% iced tea) right off the hop. Hard powder grape-flavoured candies, rye spices, dill, cedar plank, fresh pressed apple juice, and sponge toffee are also in evidence.

Palate: Cherry pie, green apple slices, baked potato skins, more sponge toffee, fresh dill, mint leaves, Rooibos tea, orange and lime peel, oatmeal cookies, and a touch of ginger.

Finish: Slightly dry with pleasant oak and fruit notes lingering.

Comment: This seems to bridge the gap between an older Bourbon and a much older Scottish Grain whisky stylistically, and offers notes from both. If you like either style then you will be happy with this bottle.

This Millstone 9-Year-Old Single Grain should make a nice compare and contrast with the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select from Day 17 and the Boutique-y Cameronbridge Single Grain we had on Day 9. They come from three different bottles with separate distillery DNA, but there are similarities there in my opinion. Will tomorrow’s dram for Day 20 also follow this style, or be something completely different? We will find out soon!

Cheers,
Evan
[email protected]
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2022

 

 

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