One of the most prominent festivals in the Netherlands, WTF Utrecht has treated us to multiple excellent festival bottlings over the years. Remember this Deanston? Their latest release effortlessly fits that tradition. It’s a Millstone Rye 2016 8 Years bottled at Cask Strength.

WTF Utrecht might be my favourite Dutch whisky festival. The Art of Drinks is incredible too, but not strictly a whisky festival – their broad offering is a large part of the appeal. The only other whisky festival that rivals WTF is the Whiskybase Gathering, but that hasn’t been on for two years, and so WTF Utrecht takes the crown for now.

Bottling a Millstone only cements their leading position. I have a lot of love for Millstone, the only Dutch whisky brand with a discernible international presence. Produced by Zuidam Distillers, many of their whiskies can compete at the highest levels. Not just Millstone’s single malt, but especially their rye whiskies.

It’s a coup for WTF Utrecht to be able to release a single cask rye from Millstone. (And it’s not the first time they’ve done something like this.) Knowing how fond at least one of the festival’s founders is of rye whisky, I can only imagine how chuffed he is with this pick.

It’s now available here. And did you see the price of this Millstone Rye? We are getting a deal.

millstone rye 2016 8 years cask strength wtf utrecht

Millstone Rye 2016 8 Years Cask Strength (53%, WTF Utrecht, 2024)

Nose: Oof, Madone! I’m going to predict this is really good after just one sniff. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It is rich, intense and unctuous. Dark fruits, bitter chocolate, and tobacco notes. Some brown sugar too, but also gentle herbs (menthol), white peaches and teak wood. Then some vanilla fudge, accompanied by golden syrup and cardamom.
Taste: Syrupy, almost oily mouthfeel. A good amount of spices now (cinnamon and pepper mainly) accompanied by a touch of resin, a hint of charred oak and strong black tea. A sliver of honey, cherries and some creamy Macadamia nuts. And lets not forget aniseed and the pleasant earthy backdrop.
Finish: Medium to long. There’s chocolate, a gentle leafiness, cinnamon and prunes.

Conclusion

It's difficult to differentiate scores between other versions of the Millstone 100 Rye. I appreciate them all, but that's not to say there aren't subtle differences. This bottling for WTF is maybe slightly more brawny, although there's an undeniable sweeter, syrupy side as well that's more polished.

8.9

Sample provided by WTF Utrecht