Millstone 100 Rye [Re-Review]

Ten days in. To the Advent Calendar. One of those things people usually post as they drink, but I’m all like “that’s too much, I’m busy” and did it two months later because I’m behind and stuff.

So this is Advent Dram #10. I’ve had some close guesses on these mystery drams. However, my wife has some curveballs in the form of raiding my supply of stuff in small Boston bottles that I’ve already reviewed.

Guess I should label the shelves better. Oh well. Let’s see how this next one tastes, shall we?

Price: No longer available at the LCBO

Region: Netherlands

Cask # 598

Abv: 50%

Colour: 10YR 7/10

Nose: Fresh cut wood, carrot, dull mint, grass

Alright, this smells like there was a virgin oak cask involved. Immediately know that. But is it actually from the US, an actual Bourbon, or some other country fooling around?

The dull mint on it, the earth. All of this is screaming a bourbon to me. Maybe it’s faintly familiar, but at this point, I can’t remember.

Taste: Anise, oak, caramel, salt

Some spice here, but not totally taking over. More of other things, which makes me think this isn’t totally a rye (I’m wrong here). More caramel and some salt, which are nice together.

The oak sticks out quite a bit here. And the earth tied to the spice (anise) isn’t doing this dram any favours.

Finish: Grapefruit, oak, caramel, basil

Nice acidity at the end. Balanced with the caramel and some of the sweetness of the basil. It’s a bit jarring at first, but I got used to that.

The earth (basil) here is a bit much though. It takes over after some time.

Conclusion: Fruity, oak based, though a bit too much earth elements going on. I found myself enjoying aspects of this, really getting into the mixture of flavours, and then being knocked back by the earth. Like I’m some sort of Avatar or last bender. That’s what kids are into right?

The end result? I think this may have tasted better when it was first opened. This was the last of a bottle I bought a while ago, and it’s lost some of its lustre. When it was first opened there was more vanilla and more spice. Now it’s coming off closer to a weaker, simpler daily bourbon. Which isn’t a bad thing, just lost some of the love from me.

74/100

Guess: Virgin oak, Bourbon, maybe from Heaven Hill?, 45%

Actually: Millstone 100 Rye

So there’s the curveball. Something to think about if you do pick up Millstone 100 Rye is that it does lose some of the lustre after the bottle’s been opened. Was a fun dram to have, and I could easily see this as a daily dram, given the balance, the wonderful (original) spice, and the fact that even when it’s gone through the wringer it still was okay to sip on.

World Whisky review #348, Netherlands review #5, Whisky review #1660