Millstone 2020 Medium Peated Sauternes Cask #200164

Zuidam Distillers, founded in 1976 by Fred and Hélène van Zuidam as a liqueur and genever producer, realised a long-held ambition when Patrick van Zuidam created Millstone — a Dutch single malt built on Scottish foundations, but distinctly its own.

This 5-year-old medium-peated malt was matured in a Sauternes cask, an unconventional choice that marries wine-forward sweetness with smoky character. The slow distillation in small copper stills and extended cool fermentation build the whisky's fruity, layered foundation. Bottled at cask strength (53.5% ABV), it speaks without dilution.

The nose carries peat smoke with undercurrent fruit, almond, and earthy depth. The palate balances the Sauternes influence — creamy, sweet, trifle-like — against the mineral, bitter-almond finish of the peat. A young whisky that moves beyond its years, refusing to be merely sweet or merely smoky.