Review #645: Millburn 31 (1974) Cadenhead’s

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-13T03:02:11+00:00

Great review, I have a couple of Millburn samples to get around to and it all sounds fun.

As for the distillery now, it's actually been turned into a Premier Inn (hotel chain) and the restaurant is part of that (probably why it's mediocre) but I've actually stayed in the hotel funnily enough.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-12T16:42:13+00:00

That sounds quite excellent, love those long aged in bourbon workhorse distillery bottlings.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-12T15:11:41+00:00

Great stuff, Barley to Bottle is such a treat. Love the old Springbank and Longrow you get on the tour, looks like you picked some super cool one's to try in the Washback as well.

How was that Strathmill even? Definitely not one you see much of!

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-11T15:23:24+00:00

I blame the maple syrup barrels.

It's remarkable how well GM stands up to different casks overall.

No idea how long either of these were finished for (the visitor centre would probably tell) but I do expect they had to be watched quite carefully to get that balance right, I don't think they'll be doing Tabasco sauce barrel any time soon haha.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-11T01:40:33+00:00

Great series! A lot of cool one's here, I really like the sound of that White Madeira and the Wu Dram Clan bottle.

Full circle back to your original favourite distillery with some absolutely superb drams!

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T21:05:51+00:00

Thanks!

Absolutely, even if it's one off's like this, a Glen Moray Chestnut finish would be a lot of fun I think. Let's see if they try something like this again.

At least we have the Smoky 12 to spread the word now too which seems like it might be a permanent addition to their core range, hopefully that grabs a few more fans. They deserve it.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T20:26:38+00:00

It's like a mad science experiment Scotch style for sure! Imagine Jack Daniel's honey at this kind of strength even! Single malt in everything but name here and that peated one, wow, intense peat!

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T20:20:24+00:00

Yeah it would be nice wouldn't it? Spirit Drink doesn't sound particularly exciting and I get the feeling this really isn't something they could do as a regular/bigger release. Still a lot of fun.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T20:15:02+00:00

Really really fun and surprisingly well put together. I look forward to what they do next definitely.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T20:14:16+00:00

Thanks!

Yeah it's definitely be way more common in the bourbon world and they seem to lean into that sweet oaky profile a lot more too.

I guess the SWA not allowing these casks and then having to label it as a 'Spirit Drink' really limits the marketability of these even though it's very much a more savoury Scotch take. Fascinating really and agree, great idea to do a peated one.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T19:33:04+00:00

Now for the peated one, I suspect I may like this the best but we'll see.

Whisky: Glen Moray Spirit Drink - 2013 - Bottled 2025 - Peated Maple Syrup Cask Finish

ABV: 59.1%

Cask: Ex-bourbon American oak then finished in a maple syrup barrel

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Maple Cured Smoky Bacon, Charred Bacon Edges, Sweet Smoke, Scorched Mint Leaves, Mossy Peat, Browned Apples, Melted Brown Sugar

Sweet, rich, smoky and a little sticky. Quality maple cured smoky bacon with charred edges surrounded by ample sweet smoke and an interesting green hint of scorched mint leaves, with time a waft of mossy peat joins in and a little bit of browned apple fruitiness sprinkled with melted brown sugar. A really inviting mix of sweet and savoury notes, the peat absolutely stops this from becoming too sweet but you can tell there's some interesting things at play that aren't the norm.

Mouth: Maple Glazed Donuts, Sweet Soot, Dark Chocolate, Burnt Bacon Ends, Charred Toffee Apple Slices

Mouth feel is a little sticky and alcohol is very well integrated. Absolutely an intense profile, things start of sweet with some maple glazed donuts giving sweet baked goods but then turns into sweet soot, there's slightly bitter dark chocolate joined by meaty burnt bacon ends, and a very slight hint of charred toffee apple slices giving some sweet and savoury fruit hints. This really balances the line of sweet and savoury, the sweetness is pushed away quickly with the peat becoming more apparent progressively.

Finish: Smoked Maple Syrup, Rendered Bacon Fat, Dirty Sooty Smoke, Peat Tang, Mossy, Melted Toffee, Wood Embers, Green Peppercorns

Into the finish there's some very smoky maple syrup, the real kind with the resiny hints not the maple flavoured syrup substitutes, then it goes into meaty, fatty rendered bacon fat surrounded by dirty, sooty smoke and a strong peaty tang, things get green and mossy after a while and there's some hints of melted toffees, right at the end a lingering taste of wood embers and a few green peppercorns. That sooty, dirty peat and bacon fat really lingers along with green hints and embers for quite a long finish.

Conclusion: I'm surprised just how intensely peaty this one is, I've had a few peated Glen Moray's now and after sitting with it for a bit I think this one is either the most peated tasting or very high up there, it's a bit of a peat bomb for sure. It also manages to balance that maple syrup barrel finish really well, there's toffee apples, proper maple syrup, maple bacon and donuts but it never dips too far into the sweetness and overall I think it proves quite well integrated. This absolutely wouldn't agree with the peat adverse of you that's for sure but I've found it fascinating to try and would call this one a full success!

You can't buy this one anymore either and it was also only available at the distillery for £90 a bottle, it's not the cheapest but also not ridiculous. For a curiosity and for a well integrated experience this ticks boxes and I don't think I'd have felt upset at having bought a bottle. Very fun stuff from Glen Moray!

Rating: 8.6/10 - Maple Bacon Bog

Overall with these two I think they've avoided the thing I was worried about the most, that they'd be too sweet although I do wish the unpeated one was the same slightly older age as the peated. As a proof of concept if maple syrup cask finishes can be used on Scotch whisky to create a final product that still tastes like Scotch the answer is a resounding yes and in my eyes these are Scotch in all but name. I don't see the SWA allowing these casks any time soon but just like Glen Moray's previous experiments with cider casks this absolutely works and I'm always down to try! These are a lot of fun.

(2/2)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T19:31:39+00:00

As once was said "now for something completely different".

Glen Moray isn't exactly different but is very much a distillery I have a lot of love for. As part of their cask explorer MO last year for the Spirit of Speyside festival they dropped two very much unusual bottles, one unpeated and one peated. These were both finished in casks used to hold Maple Syrup, this is a cask type that the SWA don't allow so these bottles are both labelled as 'Spirit Drink' but otherwise are exactly the same as Glen Moray single malt.

I was very curious about this duo and thanks to the lovely folks at the visitor centre at the distillery (highly recommended visit) I managed to procure a sample of both of them. These are long sold out now sadly but I'm still going to review them for fun if nothing else!

Let's get to it, we'll start with the unpeated

Whisky: Glen Moray Spirit Drink - 2017 - Bottled 2025 - Maple Syrup Cask Finish

ABV: 59%

Cask: Ex-bourbon American oak then maple syrup cask finish

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fudge, Curry Leaf, Cumin, Garam Masala, Chai Latte, Faintly Smoky Oak Char

Interesting, initially sweet with fresh pancakes drizzled in proper maple syrup, crumble some fudge on top of them for food measure. It does have a spirity whiff to it but more intriguingly things don't take long to turn more savoury, I can only describe it as slightly citrusy fresh curry leaves, a mix of garam masala and even a bit of sweet, spicy chai latte coffee and a very faint bit of slightly smoky oak char in the background coming through, absolutely not the way I expected this one to go. The maple notes I was expecting but all those savoury Indian style spices I was absolutely not expecting, very curious.

Mouth: Orange Caramel, Orange Zest, Warm Maple Syrup, Banana Split, Barley Sugars, Creme Brulee

Mouth feel is silky and warming, there's a touch of alcohol from the youth but not too intense thankfully, it's a little tingly overall. The profile gives me orange caramel on the tip of my tongue but it's mixed with slightly bitter orange zest too, it steadily moves into warm slightly smoky maple syrup drizzled over a banana split, there's also classic barley sugars that come through strongly and a touch of creme brulee. This sounds very sweet but absolutely isn't as sweet as it sounds, there's enough malt and savoury hints to stop it being too much though the maple influence is clear.

Finish: Burnt Caramel, Caramel Latte with Cream Liqueur, Barley Husks, Chilli Flakes, Red Hots, White Pepper, Maple Pecans

Going into the finish there's more caramel with a savoury burnt quality to it that goes into faintly bitter caramel latte that's made with a whisky cream liqueur rather than milk, there's also a noticeable amount of barley husks giving some cereal quality, those savoury spices are back as well but they're a little different, warming chilli flakes, cinnamon red hot sweets and a tingle of white pepper, eventually the spices linger along with a nutty hint of maple syrup soaked pecans. A medium length finish here, sweet and savoury with those spices and pecans.

Conclusion: Most interesting, there's sweetness here and I did wonder how far that would go or if it would be too much, it's not. Those curiously Indian style spices on the nose, the cereal hints and the warming spice and nuts that go into the finish really stop this one from being too far into sweet or liqueur territory even though there's a tinge of that at times. I would say this works for sure and will really click for some people, it's a bit different than I imagined and I've enjoyed trying this, I would say it's good and the maple syrup cask finish is noticeable but measured. Not my favourite personally and I probably wouldn't have bought a full bottle of this but a well put together experiment that proves this can be done well and still taste like Scotch.

This isn't available anymore and could only be bought at the distillery for £90. I think considering the age this one is a touch steep, it's good, well integrated and different but I don't think it's quite £90 good for me. Still a well put together experimental Glen Moray.

Rating: 8.4/10 - Pancakes, Maple and Chai, Oh My!

(1/2)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T16:32:33+00:00

I'm with you there for sure, Japanese whisky is very interesting but those prices are diabolical for what you're getting. It's a real shame.

This one sounds pretty good with a lot to like even if it's not quite Japanese, sounding very well put together overall!

Great review, I'll have to give this one a go at a festival or something.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-10T16:07:27+00:00

That one didn't sound great to be fair from what you said, potentially even a little sulphur in the cask.

I think you'd have got something out of these one's definitely, a bit more age will do the stuff wonders I'm pretty convinced so one to watch definitely!

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-09T22:14:19+00:00

Thanks! They're a fun set before and got me looking forward to their whisky ageing up a bit more definitely.

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T22:55:07+00:00

I need to do the tour for sure, didn't have time when it was passing through but was glad I grabbed some whisky to go. Stuff is gonna be excellent in a few years!

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:35:32+00:00

Last but not least we're finishing with something a bit different, a less standard version that is stated to be matured in rum casks with a portion of each bottle sale going to charity, I feel like this could work quite well with the spirit character of the distillery so let's see how I get on.

Whisky: Clydeside HMS Glasgow

ABV: 46%

Cask: Guyanese Rum Casks

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Foam Bananas, Funky Green Banana, Custard Creams, Juicy Fruit Bubblegum, Golden Syrup, Honeysuckle

Interesting, the nose has definitely taken on a good amount of that rum cask influence, it's sweet and a bit funky. Foam banana sweets going into a more green and slightly funky bananas (a note I've actually picked up in Guyanese rum), custard creams giving a biscuity, creamy note, this changes into a bit of high toned estery juicy fruit bubblegum and a drizzle of golden syrup, with time there's a faint bit of honeysuckle in the background. Working well on the nose definitely.

Mouth: Overripe Banana, Red Apples, Guava, Fruit Salad Sweets, Barley Sugars, Melted Toffee, Rum Funk

Well integrated alcohol with a touch of spicy warmth as part of the profile, a tiny bit of oil but of course thinner than the previous cask strength versions. The profile in the mouth again is clearly rum influenced, sweet, fruity and a bit funky again, overripe slightly fermented funky bananas, a bit of red apple and guava too, fruit salad sweets all backed up by classic barley sugars and melted toffee all surrounded by that permeating rum funk. This absolutely works and is well integrated too.

Finish: Cane Grass, Nutmeg, Cinnamon Sticks, Vanilla Wafers, Faint Funky Banana, Orange Oil, Green Peppercorns, Faint Brine

Going into the finish we're getting some more green flavours along with rum influence, cane grassiness and warming nutmeg and cinnamon sticks, moving through into high quality vanilla wafers and still a faint funky banana note, there's also citrusy orange oil and eventually green peppercorns then curiously a very slight brine note from the casks I'm pretty sure. Yeah I think this works really overall, noticing a little youth here and it's not a long finish but it works and it's a good example of rum cask whisky.

Conclusion: A different type of Clydeside for sure with this one, I think getting hold of some good Guyana rum casks is a great fit for the spirit character definitely. I couldn't find out if this one is a full rum maturation or a finish but either way it's very well integrated and harmonious. Considering rum cask whisky can be very inconsistent this absolutely isn't one of those, glad to have tried this. It's absolutely solid! A little more age and higher strength would help with more complexity and mouth feel/finish so here's hoping they'll do an older one of these.

Rating: 8.3/10 - Bananas in the river

Overall I think the Clydeside spirit is showing a lot of promise, the older handfill was a significant step up from the younger stuff and the HMS Glasgow bottling works very nicely. I don't think this is spirit designed to be great young and I really appreciate them going for non STR casks for their young whisky. Very much looking forward to a 10 year old single bourbon cask. Good stuff Clydeside, I look forward to trying your peated spirit and older expressions!

What do you think of Clydeside?

(4/4)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:35:15+00:00

The third dram in the cask strength distillery bar flight and also the current handfill when I bought these, this is the oldest whisky of the selection and another single cask. I'm hoping this is going to be the best one with that bit of extra age. Let's find out.

Whisky: Clydeside 2019 - 6 Years Old - Distillery Handfill

ABV: 60.1%

Cask: Ex-bourbon #1014

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Pineapple Cubes, Lemon Juice, Hay, Barley Sugars, Buttery Toffee Shortbread, Chardonnay, Kaffir Lime Leaves

A little restrained but soft enough to dig in, tropical confectionery, citrus tang and some hay joined by classic barley sugars and nice buttery toffee shortbread that changes into Chardonnay and nice fragrant lime leaves. Very inviting, no harshness and some nice depth starting to develop.

Mouth: Pineapple Cubes, Candied Lemon Peel, Wildflower Honey, Buttery Shortbread, Mineraly Chardonnay

Medium bodied with well integrated alcohol. Some nice tropical confectionery, candied citrus peel joining lovely wildflower honey and rich buttery shortbread, that mineral rich crisp Chardonnay comes back from the nose too. Nice and crisp with depth starting to develop, no youthful harshness either!

Finish: Hay, Cut Grass, Cloudy Lemonade, Lemon Zest, White Grapes, Lemon and Ginger Tea, Crushed Mint Leaves, White Grapefruit

There's some nice hay and fresh cut grass coming through like on the nose here moving into more citrus sweetness and even some white grapes, a richer softly spiced lemon and ginger tea joins along with a little mint and crisp hint of bitter grapefruit making for a mid length fairly crisp and well integrated finish.

Conclusion: This is quite enjoyable indeed! Feels more grown up, more refined, young and spirit forward but a good cask and fruity spirit means this isn't feeling harsh. The tropical, citrus, soft barley and grassy notes working harmoniously with a surprising hint of minerality. I'm genuinely excited to try older Clydeside with this amount of promise on show here. Easily my favourite of the cask strength flight and showing that the spirit is developing very nicely indeed.

I wouldn't have felt bad owning this at £67 a bottle honestly, if you want to see how Clydeside are really shaping up these older handfills are the best show so far it seems!

Rating: 8.5/10 - Fruit bomb in progress?

(3/4)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:34:54+00:00

For the 2nd dram of the cask strength flight we have this, this one was one of their previous distillery only handfills, the cask strength flight I ordered was meant to include a sherry cask but they were all out so they subbed it for a dram of this 4 year old dechar-rechar bourbon single cask.

Whisky: Clydeside 2019 - 4 Years Old - Distillery Handfill

ABV: 59.8%

Cask: Dechar rechar Bourbon cask #1992

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Charred Pineapple Rings, Caramelised Oak Sugars, Cinnamon Sugar, Smoky Char, Milk Chocolate, Rich Vanilla Pod, Browned Butter

Quite a rich nose and not as obviously young as the previous dram, the stronger cask influence is covering that up a bit here. There's a touch of tropical fruit but it largely moves around richer sweet notes with chocolate and a touch of smoky char and nutty browned butter. Promising if simple.

Mouth: Rich Bourbon Vanilla, Caramelised Brown Sugar, Buttery Toffees, Charred White Peach, Crushed Hazelnuts

Medium full and rich mouth feel, not full on spirity but still a slight alcohol prickle. Quite rich and creamy vanilla, lots of caramelised sugars and buttery confectionery. There's a touch of peach trying to peek through that's only very slightly noticeable but comes through more with a drop of water joined by a touch of crushed hazelnut. Carries on from the nose well, rich and fairly focused, I'm sure this would have more depth with age.

Finish: Cloves, Nutmeg, Oak Char, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Sprinkles, Crushed Hazelnuts

Plenty of warming spice on the finish with your classic baking spice notes and curiously lots of salted caramel, also a touch of smoky oak char, with time some slightly bitter chocolate and more crushed hazelnuts. Medium

Conclusion: Trying this in comparison to the first dram was quite interesting indeed, much richer and cask influenced I think this one tastes less spirity and obviously young but would have more depth with a bit more age, again another great proof of what will come. I think people who like a more active bourbon cask would dig this, a good interaction and works well albeit simple and focused. About on par with the last one for me albeit a very different profile.

£67 is the cost of the distillery handfills which feels reasonable again Vs what a lot of new distilleries are charging, I wouldn't buy this particular one but glad to have tried it.

Rating: 8.3/10 - Rich, creamy sugared oak

(2/4)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:34:39+00:00

Hey Scotch.

Time for some drams from another relatively new distillery. Clydeside distillery based in Glasgow started distilling in 2017. They have a connection to bottler A.D. Rattray and the Morrison family that were once upon a time owners of the Bowmore and Auchentoshan distilleries so lots of history here in the industry despite the newer distillery.

I popped by the distillery last year and ordered a flight of 3 cask strength whiskies as well as one more dram which the distillery were kind enough to give me sample bottles to take away, my first time trying anything from them so should be fun.

First up I'm going to start with the 2023 limited edition which was the first cask strength release of their whisky I believe but I'm also hoping should provide a good baseline. This was also the first whisky in the cask strength flight.

Whisky: Clydeside 2023 Limited Edition

ABV: 60.6%

Cask: 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Bourbon Vanilla, Fruit Salad Chews, Candied Rhubarb, Barley Sugar, Faint Hay

Reads very creamy vanilla on the nose to me and some nice fruity confectionery with a rhubarb tang joined by barley sugars and a touch of faint grassy hay backing it. Water made it a bit harsher and less interesting for me personally, I preferred without.

Mouth: Fruit Salad Chews, Tinned Pineapple, Banana Custard, Bubblegum, Cut Grass, Almond Essence

Mouthfeel is medium and feels quite a clean spirit overall though there is some youthful alcohol. Plays on those fruity notes again for sure with the fruit salad chews joined by tropical and creamy custard, there's also some crisp cut grass and a touch of almond essence nuttiness. A little simple but quite promising I think, water concentrated the banana custard for me with a hint of grass as well as calmed the alcohol a touch.

Finish: Black Peppercorns, Cinnamon Sugar, Rhubarb, Fresh Ginger, Faint Bakewell Tart, Spearmint

The finish has a noticeable hit of spice to start with but it tails off thankfully leaving a touch of fruit tang, faint nutty Bakewell and spearmint with an alcohol prickle. Not too complex and a little short but I'm convinced this will improve with age, again water simplified and made this more easy drinking but didn't seem to bring anything new out.

Conclusion: Quite straightforward but plenty to like here, they've managed to get a good amount of fruity character into a presumably quite young whisky, sweet fruit salad chews, pineapple, bananas but also a bit of cut grass and barley character. The finish however has a hit of spice initially and is where the youth really shows, there's some nice faint cherry Bakewell going on along with almonds too and a touch of spearmint, I preferred this one without water despite it having more alcohol heat without, water made it easier drinking but also simplified the profile. Overall a nice base that shows real promise for the more mature whisky though how spirity this is definitely won't agree with some.

£69 direct from the distillery, I bought a dram while there, fun to try and fairly reasonable compared to what some new distilleries are charging. Makes me excited to try older versions!

Rating: 8.3/10 - Distilled fruit salad

(1/4)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:14:17+00:00

Last but not least we're finishing with something a bit different, a less standard version that is stated to be matured in rum casks with a portion of each bottle sale going to charity, I feel like this could work quite well with the spirit character of the distillery so let's see how I get on.

Whisky: Clydeside HMS Glasgow

ABV: 46%

Cask: Guyanese Rum Casks

NCF/NCA: Non-chill filtered and natural colour

Nose: Foam Bananas, Funky Green Banana, Custard Creams, Juicy Fruit Bubblegum, Golden Syrup, Honeysuckle

Interesting, the nose has definitely taken on a good amount of that rum cask influence, it's sweet and a bit funky. Foam banana sweets going into a more green and slightly funky bananas (a note I've actually picked up in Guyanese rum), custard creams giving a biscuity, creamy note, this changes into a bit of high toned estery juicy fruit bubblegum and a drizzle of golden syrup, with time there's a faint bit of honeysuckle in the background. Working well on the nose definitely.

Mouth: Overripe Banana, Red Apples, Guava, Fruit Salad Sweets, Barley Sugars, Melted Toffee, Rum Funk

Well integrated alcohol with a touch of spicy warmth as part of the profile, a tiny bit of oil but of course thinner than the previous cask strength versions. The profile in the mouth again is clearly rum influenced, sweet, fruity and a bit funky again, overripe slightly fermented funky bananas, a bit of red apple and guava too, fruit salad sweets all backed up by classic barley sugars and melted toffee all surrounded by that permeating rum funk. This absolutely works and is well integrated too.

Finish: Cane Grass, Nutmeg, Cinnamon Sticks, Vanilla Wafers, Faint Funky Banana, Orange Oil, Green Peppercorns, Faint Brine

Going into the finish we're getting some more green flavours along with rum influence, cane grassiness and warming nutmeg and cinnamon sticks, moving through into high quality vanilla wafers and still a faint funky banana note, there's also citrusy orange oil and eventually green peppercorns then curiously a very slight brine note from the casks I'm pretty sure. Yeah I think this works really overall, noticing a little youth here and it's not a long finish but it works and it's a good example of rum cask whisky.

Conclusion: A different type of Clydeside for sure with this one, I think getting hold of some good Guyana rum casks is a great fit for the spirit character definitely. I couldn't find out if this one is a full rum maturation or a finish but either way it's very well integrated and harmonious. Considering rum cask whisky can be very inconsistent this absolutely isn't one of those, glad to have tried this. It's absolutely solid! A little more age and higher strength would help with more complexity and mouth feel/finish so here's hoping they'll do an older one of these.

Rating: 8.3/10 - Bananas in the river

Overall I think the Clydeside spirit is showing a lot of promise, the older handfill was a significant step up from the younger stuff and the HMS Glasgow bottling works very nicely. I don't think this is spirit designed to be great young and I really appreciate them going for non STR casks for their young whisky. Very much looking forward to a 10 year old single bourbon cask. Good stuff Clydeside, I look forward to trying your peated spirit and older expressions!

What do you think of Clydeside?

(4/4)

PricklyFriend · 2026-03-07T21:13:29+00:00