Millstone 2012 Founders Reserve
Cask Strength 10yo Dutch Rye Whisky | 52.62% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
If this is the devil’s grain, put me down for the lake of fire
Fighting whisky fatigue.
I genuinely dislike those periods when I’m faced with a feeling of fatigue. While not exactly being ‘bored’ with whisky - as that’s far too strong a word to express the situation - but perhaps something akin to being in the doldrums. Can you relate?
It’s a situation where you don’t tend to get as excited by what’s in your glass as usual. When even your guaranteed winners don’t seem to spark as much sensory and flavoury satisfaction and gratification as expected or hoped. It appears as if it has hit me, rather unsuspectingly.
Being in somewhat of a whisky rut is something I’ve encountered before. It’s happened once or twice in over a decade of self-admitted whisky geekery, and usually it doesn’t bother me too much. It tends to be temporary and finding distractions usually does the trick. But still, every time there’s also this nagging feeling, somewhere. ‘What if it doesn’t go away?’
It’s a thought that inevitably pops into my head and something I have come to dread. Part of me feels as if I’m betraying what is very, very dear to me. The liquid itself, as the lifelong chasing of flavour has brought me endless hours of amazement and surprise, but also, and possibly even more so, a community behind the liquid, which I have come to know, cherish and love.
I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted here, but a good dose of my life is built around whisky and this whisky community. Offline and online, it’s like a ‘fille rouge’ that runs through both my pastime and social life. The idea of losing that connection, that network, that hobby and passion, simply because I find myself faced with a situation where whisky is losing part of its appeal, is something I cannot comprehend.
What if the excitement and sheer joy of tasting and sharing something utterly wonderful in a whisky doesn’t return and is forever lost on me? The horror… the horror. Luckily, the remedy is, as I’ve come to find, fairly bullet proof. It always comes down to ‘slow down, broaden the horizon, change the pace, find a new angle.’
More often than not, it’s very much a case of recalibrating. In order to achieve that, one needs to step aside for a while and leave the beaten track. By which I mean looking towards malternatives to our beloved single malt whisky. And there’s plenty of quality options out there these days.
There are mind blowing and excellent rums, mezcals, cognacs, brandies and other spirits about to distract the dazed and confused malt-head. In the best case scenario, these will broaden the horizon and help you discover new flavours and sensations, which in turn may prove useful when getting back in the whisky saddle. In the worst case scenario, they will prove so utterly poor that soon enough one will have found back the appetite for a quality single malt whisky once more!
During this recent whisky fatigue, it has been particularly grappa that has come to my rescue, bringing me new flavour discoveries, joy and excitement. While there are some legal restrictions and descriptions as what can and can’t be labelled as grappa, the legislation is by no means as strict as we see with Scotch or bourbon, and due to this more or less ‘loose’ approach towards legislation or regulation, grappa has since long been suffering from a bit of a dubious reputation. Being made not from grape juice, but rather from whatever is left of the grapes used in the wine industry after pressing – a legal requirement which made the origins of the spirit – not letting any part of the grapes go to waste – official. Depending on the producer, it can indeed go from anywhere between ‘nectar from the gods’ all the way down ‘paint brush thinner’. While this Italian brandy comes in all shapes and sizes, by and large it has also taken huge steps in recent years in terms of upping the standards and improving the quality.
But since this is a whisky review site I fear I might be digressing a bit. I can only recommend reading up on it and will happily point you towards the often excellent blog from Inka Larissa, On The Sauce Again. So grappa for the win at Argyle HQ.
But also there has been something else. Something much closer to home. Something I can’t seem to get enough of. Something just as powerful at banishing those looming spectres of fatigue; rye whisky.
Or rather, one rye whisky in particular.
Review
Millstone 2012 Founders Reserve, 10yo Dutch Single Rye Whisky, American Oak, 872 bottles, 52.62% ABV
£70 paid
I’m quite surprised to discover that Millstone is somewhat of a favourite amongst some of the Dramface writing team. The Zuidam distillery is fairly close to where I live - roughly a good hour’s drive - and thanks to Broddy (who submitted a Millstone review as his Dramface debut way back in 2022) I was able to visit it just last year.
Zuidam is a family run distillery that’s been around since 1975. Initially focussing on jenever and liqueurs, the portfolio has expanded since those early days and now they’re also making gin, vodka, rum and, indeed, whisky.
The latter under the name Millstone, an ambition and dream from 2nd generation owner, master distiller and blender Patrick Van Zuidam who started running trial batches in the 1990’s to create, as they now proudly boast it, the first Dutch whisky.
On the day of the visit, Broddy and I left with more than a few samples of some absolutely excellent single malt whisky and jenever. That said, what Millstone is probably known best for, is their award winning single rye whisky. Their 100 rye has been chosen by ‘The World Whisky Awards’ as the world’s best rye. Not once, not twice, but thrice. While we tend to approach many whisky and spirits awards with a healthy dose of scepticism here, I have to say that in this case, Zuidam’s 100 rye at the very least makes for a worthy contender.
The 100 rye is made from 100% malted rye, which is then matured for a 100 months to be bottled at 100 American proof (50% ABV). This particular expression is said to be the one that ‘goes to eleven’, as it’s the limited, batch strength, longer matured version of that 100 rye. As I quite enjoy the 100 Rye, I had this one on my radar ever since it was released late 2023.
Since the distribution gods move in mysterious ways, Millstone is hard to find over here. I was seriously considering a trip north of the border to go looking for it before it’s all gone. Then a bottle popped up on an auction site and, luckily enough, mine proved to be the winning bid, meaning it came delivered to my front door for what it actually retails for, all costs added up.
A happy shopper can also be a lazy shopper, it seems.
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
If this is the devil’s grain, put me down for the lake of fire
Nose
Cooked red apples, berries, raisins, plums, syrup. Quite a lot of wood notes: cedar wood, pencil shavings, cigar boxes. All mixed in with some classic ‘green’ rye notes of eucalyptus and gentle licorice. An absolute flavour bomb!
Palate
The wood notes are upfront now (tropical wood, the cedar wood, pencil shavings and cigar boxes all return) but by no means drying or overly bitter as it’s all wonderfully delivered. Old leather. Dried red fruit, licorice, with again a gentle green note and some spice notes of ginger and cinnamon, before it dives into a long spice driven lingering finish. I kid you not when I say that even after 15 -20 minutes, there are echoes of echoes of the finish going back and forth! This is gorgeous!
The Dregs
Absolutely delightful – a complete feast of flavours from start to finish. There is so much happening and all of the flavours are wonderfully integrated, making for an exquisite balance where everything just clicks, and all those wonderful bits and bobs of every single aspect of this whisky shine through. I had this one down as a 7/10 initially – which already is an utterly fantastic score, but the more I think about it and the more I just sit back with this, the more impressed I become.
I don’t go lightly about rating anything higher than a 7/10. Out of the eighty-odd reviews I’ve written for Dramface, I don’t think there’s more than a few which have bagged an 8/10 and only one I rewarded a 9/10. But this rye truly merits it, as this is on another level indeed.
Given time, this might just cruise its way towards an even higher score. Not only is this the best possible antidote for malt whisky fatigue, I will go on record and suggest that this is an absolute masterclass in whisky. Bravo!
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. EA
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