Stop number 97 on the SDT is Miltonduff. A little known Speyside distillery with a huge capacity of 5.5 million liters per year, second only to Glenlivet. The vast majority of their whisky goes into Ballentines blends but they did release a 10 and 12 year old official bottling, which from what I could find was a number of years ago. These days they have a kind of partnership with Gordon and MacPhail to release a semi official 10 and 15 year old. This 10 year old is bottled at 43% ABV (which I believe was done for the US market because all information I could find about this bottle showed it as 40% [including this entry on Distiller but it’s close enough to not warrant making a new entry], even on the G&M website). It is likely natural color of golden straw and it is chill filtered. Matured in a combination of refill and first fill sherry casks. The nose starts floral with fresh hay and grasses. Funny that it’s sherry matured because I’m getting a distinct bourbon sensation. Light oak, pine resin and vegetal like celery. After time the sherry notes do start to come through. Light raisins, plums and red apples. A light but well integrated buttery toffee and caramel with vanilla. The palate...well, there wasn’t much there to get excited about. Slightly bitter oak and a very generic whisky taste, probably why it’s so popular with blenders as a base component. Sharp at times with a faint metallic note. Possibly some tobacco but I can’t say for sure. Malty with a bit of honey. Some peppery heat even at 43%. Like the nose, I get more of a bourbon feel than a sherry one. Maybe I’m just off tonight. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is thin but lightly oily. A medium length finish that is mostly just pepper and oak. Another poor example of an independent bottling (even though this is supposedly approved by the distillery). The nose was ok but the palate was nearly impossible to dissect and it was very uninspired. Not impressed. At $55 for a 10 year old the price is just ok, but the value isn’t there. Thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. 2.5 and a hope that the rest of the final round goes better. Cheers