Agreed people shouldn’t be drinking it, pasteurization makes it safe for everyone’s immune system. Especially important considering the state of most factory farms.

BUT you’re probably remembering right. I’ve had milk straight from the cow (and cream and buttermilk separated from a just milked cow, as well as butter churned from said cream). Buttermilk especially tastes like quite different from the stuff in the grocery store.

Also, milk just tastes different depending on the cows, and how they're raised and fed. Most likely what you're noticing there is the difference between grass-fed and corn-fed. Cows aren't naturally adapted to eat corn; they grow better and healthier on grass, which is how they're raised in the UK. Corn-feeding is a primarily North American practice because corn can be sold at below the cost of production in the US thanks to government subsidies in place since the Great Depression.