Millburn

About the distillery

Millburn was a Highland distillery in Inverness, founded in 1807 and later completely disappeared from the area. Today, the name is mostly of interest to collectors, because the distillery managed to release only a fairly small number of single malts, and because the subsequent bottlings are rare. The history ranges from an illegal beginning under the name Inverness Distillery to the demolition of most of the buildings in 1988.

History

Millburn was founded in 1807 by a man known only as Mr Welsh. In its first years, the distillery was run illegally under the name Inverness Distillery, before it in 1825 came into new hands following the passing of the Exercise Act, when Alexander Macdonald and James Rose took over the site. The business did not go well, and as early as 1829 they had to sell again. After a period without operation, the corn merchant David Rose bought the site in 1853, and in 1876 the plant was reconstructed. His son, George Rose, handled production from 1881 to 1892, after which Andrew Haig & Company took over. In 1904, the distillery officially received the name Millburn, and later came ownership under Booth’s Distillers Limited, Distiller’s Company Limited, and Scottish Malt Distillers. The distillery closed in 1985, and in 1988 many of the original buildings were demolished to make way for a new urban development.

Raw materials and production

Millburn used water from Loch Duntelchaig, and production was based on a traditional setup with one wash still and one spirit still. The two stills had a classic ‘Speyside’ shape with broad, spherical tops and long, conical necks. The raw material was barley from local farms in the Inverness area, and the malt was peat-smoked, giving the distillate a more distinctive and smoky character. The distillery worked with a small maturing warehouse complex, including a dunnage warehouse where the spirit was laid down in casks. The combination of local raw materials, smoked malt, and the traditional pot still form points to a place that stuck with classic craft methods rather than chasing large volume targets.

Maturation and cask types

Millburn matured its whisky in both American white oak and sherry casks. This took place in a modest warehouse complex, where a dunnage warehouse was part of the facility. This cask combination explains why the distillery’s well-known releases are associated with both sweetness, fruit, and spice, while the smoky character can still be sensed in the background.

Whiskies

Millburn’s range was never large. In its lifetime, the distillery released only a very limited number of single malts, and after the closure, only a few bottles have appeared. The most well-known group is the three semi-official Rare Malts releases at 18, 25, and 35 years, and in addition, there are certain independent bottlings, including from Gordon & MacPhail and Cooper’s Choice. That is why it is a name that primarily lives on in collector circles and among those who seek out rare Highland whiskies.

The whisky’s style and tasting profile

Millburn’s expression moves in the direction of sweetness, fruit, sherry, spice, and pepper, while the smoke gives the whisky a more distinctive and older Highland character. It is a style where the peat-smoked malt and maturation in both American oak and sherry casks can be felt throughout the overall profile.

Visit the distillery

You cannot visit Millburn as an active distillery, because the original buildings are essentially gone. On site, however, there is the restaurant The Auld Distillery in one of the remaining buildings, and that is the clearest way to experience the place today.