Miltonhaugh (Balmenach) 28 yo 1966 Whisky Connoisseur #3154 63.5%

Miltonhaugh (Balmenach) 28 yo 1966 Whisky Connoisseur #3154 63.5%

I was excited to try this, and happy that I did not leave disappointed. Here is the old Highlands phenolic and austere but not peaty style in full display. This noses like a vat of gritty oils, mineral and sandy in a sharp but charred manner. An image of old and blackened oak countertops comes to mind, littered with sooty tree resins, discarded wax and snuffed wicks. Some pot of  traditional medicine brewed from powdered bark and roots sits steaming next to coal dust, cold rubber, sackcloth and earth stained spades. The whole is at once both earthy and phenolic yet through these wisps of white smoke and burnt sap, you could never really say it is dirty. I find remarkable depth and texture, layered with little notes and delights, though this is also a whisky that feels more stacked in the olfactory mids than anything else. 93 pts