Scottish distilleries - Miltonduff
Miltonduff is a Scottish whisky distillery, that currently belongs to the Pernod Ricard concern. It is located in the Speyside region, near the city of Elgin.
Miltonduff history
Miltonduff Distillery was founded in 1824 by Andrew Peary and Robert Bain. In 1866 it was bought by William Stuart, who was joined in 1895 by Thomas Yool & Co. as a co-owner and then the sole owner of the distillery. In 1936, Miltonduff was sold to Hiram Walker, the owner of George Ballantine’s & Sons.
In 1964, a pair of Lomond alembics were installed in the distillery to start production of the Mosstowie single malt whisky. In 1974, the distillery was significantly expanded and its production capacity increased. In 1981, with the replacement of Lomond stills by ordinary ones, Mosstowie production ceased. In the years 1986–1987 the company was taken over by Allied Domecq, and in 2005 the distillery passed into the hands of the Pernod Ricard concern, which is its owner to this day.
Whisky production
Miltonduff distillery equipment consists of a mash vat with a capacity of 15 tons, eighteen fermenters with a capacity of 5 tons and three pairs of alembics. The distillery has a production capacity of 5.5 million liters of whisky per year. The water used to make whisky comes from the Black Burn stream.
The Miltonduff distillery also has an extensive warehouse complex. For aging distillates, sherry casks made of American white oak are most often used here.
Lomond Stills
The Miltonduff distillery, in addition to whisky production, is also known as a research and experimental center for the whole Scotch whisky industry. In the distillery area there are, among others, laboratory and technology center. One of the best known results of the work of the Miltonduff researchers was the development of the Lomond still, also called Mosstowie still, from the whisky produced in it.
Lomond still has a wider than usual neck, in which additional rectification plates were placed, which affected the circulation of vapors inside the alembic. As a result, the whisky produced in this type of stills had a different taste and aroma. It was called Mosstowie and its production lasted from 1964 to 1981.
Whisky
Whisky from the Miltonduff distillery is rarely bottled as single malt. The vast majority of production is intended for the production of popular blended whisky Ballantine’s.
In the single malt version, it is most often found as bottlings of independent bottlers, the most popular of which are 10- and 12-year-old expressions by Gordon & MacPhail.
The whisky from the Miltonduff distillery has a characteristic for the Speyside region, mild and floral flavour, often accompanied by peat, spicy and vanilla notes.
