Linkwood 21 Year Distillery Labels (Gordon & MacPhail)

링크우드 25년 43% 향 : 달콤한 과실, 알콜부즈 거의 없음, 단냄새가 많이 남, 맛 : 라이트함, 차분한 오크 속 쉐리, 그러나 금새 침이랑 합체되며 오일리해짐, 역시 스토롱, 스파이시, 피니쉬 : 신선한 우디함이 올라옴, 상쾌한 스파이시

gelb. N frisch Minze zitrus. G mild frisch zitrus A Leicht bitter mild

(This review is for the Cadenhead Small Batch 23 Year Old Linkwood-Glenlivet) Honey, leather, and lightly citric nose. Robust mouthful, with a delicious combination of strawberries, grapenuts and toasted cereal on the palate. The finish is long and lightly spiced. Overall a delicious and gem of a dram.

This review is actually for the 20 year old Linkwood bottled by Signatory and has been provided to me from the ever generous @PBMichiganWolverine. It's not too often I get to sample whiskys greater than 15 years, so I was extremely curious. The nose is light, with a wood oakness. Somewhat malty with a fruity side. Apples and lemon with honey and heather. The nose is intriguing, yet simple. Hmmmm. The draw is hot and spicy. Is this really a 20 year old? It feels more like a 7 year. The palate is somewhat bland, shockingly. There is some flavor, but does not want to come out, and a good dig is required. When you do work for it, vanilla, honey and walnuts is what can be found. The finish is long and dry. Lemony bitter with a hint of oak. A disappointing experience and had high expecations given it's age. Very much a hot and young whisky feel. Not much to sink into and a somewhat dim experience. [80/100][Tasted: 11/2/17]

This review is for the 25 year old Gordon & MacPhail, which is pretty available in well-stocked whisky bars, and is very reasonably priced, like Linkwood IBs tend to be. I bought two ounces at The Caledonian in Toronto last week for $43 CAN (roughly $34 USD). Linkwood is very versatile for long aging because the distillery character is bland and easy to build on. Linkwood is like Baby from “Dirty Dancing.” She enters casks with naivete and trepidation, yearning for a bold, assertive cask to teach her some spicy moves. The best partner is probably small ex-bourbon casks, preferably rejuvenated. The 25 G&M uses sherry refill, and we aren’t given more information. Probably, this was aged in tired sherry butts, because even after 25 years, something is to be desired, and I only rarely taste anything 25 years or older. NOSE: Take your time for these old whiskies. Initially, there are stale and muddled vanilla/sherry notes. Wait a good 10-15 minutes for this dram to open up. Sweet fruity notes separate from earthy, damp forest undergrowth. Sultanas and wilting roses. Something arcane in the background. Dusty, herbal traditional Chinese medicine like. Nothing blowing the socks off, but contemplative. Hmmm… PALATE: Sweet arrival with an impressive body for 43% ABV. Still, this would have been nicer with more alcohol. Don’t add water. Honey, vanilla, cream. I tend to get an Earl Grey background with all Linkwoods. Thus, London fog (flavors assemble)! The woody flavors towards the end do nothing for me. Like I said, tired sherry butts probably. FINISH: Medium in length. Dry and malty. The sweetness dropped off quickly, and you are left chewing on old water-damaged books. The pages are brown, with a little bit of moss. Could have used some peat. Could have used some sherry. VERDICT: A bottle, if you find one on sale, should be ~$150. At that price point, it’s hard to pass for a 25 year old. Finding the London fog flavor was a great experience and I could keep going back to that at any time of the day. Drink a 25 year old whisky for brunch like a champ! MARK: 87/100.

Like both Lee and Pranay, this review is actually for the 20 year old Linkwood bottled by Signatory. Stop number 18 on the SDT is Linkwood. This Speyside single malt was bottled by the independent bottlers of Signatory. The whisky was matured in two Hogsheads, cask numbers 5927 and 5934. 43% ABV and it is natural color of white wine or pale straw. It is non chill filtered. A very fresh and crisp nose, indicating to me that the Hogsheads are most likely refill or possibly third fill, not allowing for much maturation. Apples and pears with lemons up front. Peaches, and something that reminds me of artificial strawberry or watermelon flavoring. Light vanilla and anise/licorice and pickled ginger. After some additional time some sherry sweetness emerges. Very faint oak and cocoa powder can be found as well. There is a light pepper arrival on the palate. Apples and pears with cinnamon follow. Honey, toffee, dried apricots and some vanilla. A light taste overall. Not bad but nothing too complex, again showing the lack of maturity. Light to medium bodied. Somewhat thin and dry. The finish is medium short. Dry with light citrus, peach and pepper. The flavor profile is typical Speyside. Not what I had hoped for a 20 year old, but I am not going to condemn Linkwood based on this independent bottling. This has a feel more like a 12 or 14 year old. This just confirms that it's the amount of activity in the casks and not just the amount of time in the casks that makes the whisky a winner or not. Thanks to Pranay for the sample this review is based on. 3.25. Cheers.

(Like Lee's, my notes are specifically for the Signatory 20 yr old). Very unidimensional in aroma, flavor and quick finish. A 20 yr old acting like a 12 yr old ( Just like today's young generation. And this is where I've become my dad...)

* Disclaimer- This review is specifically written for the Signatory bottling of this Linkwood single malt. I petitioned Distiller about 2 weeks ago to add this bottling because our distillery tour group is sampling this one in round 2. If Distiller eventually adds it I will gladly move this review. I just want to keep track of everything our group is trying, as well as add a review for anyone that may be interested in purchasing a Linkwood malt. On with the review... I took to a morning of sipping scotch after a long night of drinking craft beer with old friends. This morning's whisky sample comes from my friend Pranay and our Scottish Distillery group. We have just kicked off the second round so I started with what will be the oldest whisky for this round: Linkwood 20 year old. This is an independent bottling from Signatory that was put to rest by the distillery in May 1995 and bottled in March 2016. There was only 2 hogsheads casks used for this vintage (#5927 & #5934). That makes this entire run no more than 132 USgal- minus the Angels share, of course. So it's pretty rare stuff. It was bottled at 43% ABV and was non-chill filtered, I believe. On the nose there's faint oak and sweet malt. After 10-15min I think I pick up some light, floral notes but that could all be in my head due to this early morning drinking session, lol. The palate is also really one dimensional- bread and sweet apples/corn. It's not the candied variety, mind you just some subtle sweetness. It's remarkably smooth, but what 20 year old shouldn't be. There isn't much burn from the ABV because this had to be blended (watered) down to the stated 43%. I can only wonder what the flavor profile would've been had they bottled this at cask strength. The finish is medium length and somewhat peppery. Nothing much else to report on that front. Overall, it's a relatively bland single malt that really needed to be offered at cask strength IMO. As it is, it's one dimensional for sure. It's another tick off of our distillery list, though, and I'd like to thank my friend Pranay again for offering this one up. 3.25 stars. Cheers.