Independent bottlings from good wine merchants have a habit of punching above their weight, and this Avon 2016 from Milroy's Soho Selection is a neat case in point. A 9-year-old blended malt bottled at a muscular 51.5% ABV for under forty quid — that's a proposition worth paying attention to, particularly in a market where age-stated Speyside single malts at comparable strength routinely ask twice the price.
For those unfamiliar, Milroy's of Soho is one of London's oldest specialist whisky shops, and their own-label selections have earned a quiet but loyal following. The 'Avon' name here is a trade designation rather than a distillery — common practice with blended malts where the component whiskies are sourced from Speyside but the exact distillery or distilleries aren't publicly confirmed. What we do know is that this is Speyside through and through, vatted and bottled at cask strength with no chill-filtration pretensions.
What to Expect
At 51.5%, this isn't a whisky that's been watered down to play nice. You're getting something close to the cask's honest opinion, which at nine years old from Speyside suggests a spirit that still has plenty of youthful energy but enough maturation to have developed genuine character. Blended malts in this style tend to deliver a balancing act — the brightness and cereal sweetness of younger malt married with whatever the cask has contributed over nearly a decade. The strength means you can add water to taste without losing the plot, and I'd actually encourage that here. A few drops open things up considerably.
The Speyside designation sets broad expectations: think fruit-forward, approachable malt with a clean spirit character. At this age and strength, there's likely a pleasing interplay between malty sweetness and a bit of spiced oak. It won't have the sherry-bomb weight of older expressions, but that's not what this whisky is trying to be. It's direct, confident, and priced to be drunk rather than displayed.
The Verdict
I rate the Avon 2016 at 7.7 out of 10. Here's why: at £38.95, this delivers cask-strength Speyside blended malt with an age statement, from a reputable independent selector. That's genuinely good value. The whisky market is awash with overpriced NAS expressions trading on fancy packaging and vague origin stories. This does the opposite — it tells you the vintage, the age, the strength, and lets the liquid do the talking. It's not going to change your life, but it's a proper whisky at an honest price, and Milroy's track record suggests they wouldn't put their name on something mediocre. For anyone building a home bar or looking for a weeknight dram that doesn't feel like a compromise, this deserves serious consideration.
Best Served
Pour it neat first and let it sit for a minute — at 51.5% it needs a moment to breathe. Then add water gradually, a few drops at a time, until the alcohol heat softens and the malt character steps forward. This is an excellent whisky for a simple highball too: a good measure over ice, topped with chilled soda water. The cask strength means it holds its own against the dilution, and you end up with something refreshing that still tastes unmistakably of Speyside malt. On a Friday evening, that's hard to argue with.
