Linkwood-Glenlivet 23 Year Small Batch (Cadenhead's)

Deliciousness

A dreary Friday evening. All quiet. A sample from days long past (2 years ago) as a bonus sample from @Generously_Paul and @LeeEvolved as part of the SDT group. Still getting to the backlog... An initial draw on the nose, though extremely brief, brought a hint of coffee grains. Then, in a flash, gone. The nose is floral and fruit. Light with some alcohol vapor that flares the nostrils, though only a slightly. Honeysuckle, vanilla, Heath bar (toffee and milk chocolate), apples, white grapes. As time progresses, dried grass/straw, dry oatmeal with golden honey drizzled, honeydew and a smidge of oak char. A very busy and full nose. A spicy palate (from the high proof/55.3% abv) that is contrastingly creamy. A orchard fruit base of apples and/or pears, sweet vanilla, caramel, ground cinnamon. What remains is the char and the oak which linger on the palate, all with a with a touch of mint. A good dose of water enhances the whisky. The vanilla flavors are drawn out along with a large sack of barley sugar; very sweet. Whoppers (candy) and green tea seep their way out as well. The nose is the star of the whisky. Full, complex and inviting. The palate holds the nose’s potential and it seems to be on the cusp of really opening up but is self restrained. Water loosens the restraints and starts the open the door for more flavors to draw out. But a catalyst only starts a reaction (if I have my minimal amount of chemistry knowledge correct) and what comes out is based upon the compounds it’s working on. All those fancy words, simply stating, there is only so much flavor in the whole. I was expecting more flavor from a 23 year mature whisky and wanted more, like the nose. A good, enjoyable dram, though, overall. Glad I got to sample this hard to find scotch. Thanks again Paul and Lee. [87/100][Tasted: 10/16/20]

This was a bonus sample from our final round of the Scottish Distillery Tour. It was provided by @Generously_Paul. This was a bottle we both purchased based on a glowing review from a highly respected reviewer on here. I believe Paul tracked this bottle down in the Netherlands and we paid around $160 for it. Linkwood is a somewhat obscure distillery and this was a 23 year old bottle from independent bottler, Cadenhead. This was bottled at a cask strength of 55.3% and is non-chill filtered with no added color. It’s classic gold in the tasting glass and appears oily with tiny droplets forming when you give it a spin. The nose started out with light florals, vanilla and orchard fruits. I ended up giving this one almost an hour to breathe and a little dose of water to force it to open up further. Once I gave it some H2O I was rewarded with a wonderful raspberry note, grapes, honey and some fresh oak. The aromas wafting from the glass were the highlight of this dram. The palate was immediately way too hot to really enjoy- even after an hour. The ABV really prevented this thing from relaxing much at all. Again, with water, it became a bit sweeter but the heat remained and it was overly woody and harsh. Water didn’t tame this savage beast one bit and I wasn’t about to drown it to make that happen. The finish was medium and spicy while drying. The heat mellowed a bit and became manageable and after adding water it became much fruitier. It took water to save the finish for me. Also, I did thoroughly enjoy the dry glass aromas after finishing the entire sample- I got tons of raspberry notes and that took me back to how much I enjoyed the initial nosing. It shouldn’t have taken an hour to discover, nor should it have needed water at 55%. Overall, to say I had high hopes for this bottle is an understatement. I’m torn when it comes to a score- I want to penalize it for the abrasive mouthfeel and excessive heat, but I really loved the nose and dry glass finish. The nose was 5 stars, but the palate and finish are 2.5-2.75 stars for me. I’m going to compromise and settle on 3.75. I’ve had a few whiskies that were fantastic on the nose and fell apart everywhere else and I still propped them up with higher than average scores, so I think I’ll do the same here. This bottle was pretty limited so I don’t have to recommend buying it because it’ll be so hard to find at this point- I do believe Cadenhead are releasing more Linkwood on a yearly basis, though, so you may be able to find the 24 year old version now. My advice there is buyer beware if you do- and bring water. Cheers, my friends.

Another of the bonus samples from the SDT. This is one that I provided for the group. A 23 year old Linkwood from the independent bottlers at Cadenhead. 2 bourbon hogsheads were used to create 492 bottles. Distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2016, this Speyside single malt comes in at cask strength of 55.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a shimmering gold. The nose is quite closed off at first, it really takes time and an archeologists skills to dig carefully through this one. Herbal and minty notes are dominant initially. Some fruits emerge, but on the light side, apples, green grapes, bananas, honeydew. A strong raspberry flavor comes in, but it’s not quite raspberry. More like blue razzberry flavored candy. Quite odd and unexpected but it’s definitely there. Vanilla, toffee, bubblegum with florals and grassy notes. I added enough water to bring on some scotch mist and got more toffee and mint. I got a malty note that wasn’t there before and some tangerines. I then added enough water to go beyond scotch mist and went full on 1952 London fog. I got some lime, soap, more tangerine, licorice, green oak and an aromatic quality. A lot to decipher, but sadly nothing that wowed me other than the raspberry, and that was just a puzzled wow. The palate was even more closed off than the nose. Quite hot if you go in unaware of its power, but it’s a weak jumble of flavors with no cohesiveness. Grassy with a little toffee and apples. Not much else neat. Water brings out lime, oak, honey, green tea, ginger and malty notes. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is both oily and not at the same time. Mouthwatering. The finish is medium length with lime, mint and grassy. I have to say I had very high hopes after @Joe_C proclaimed this to be one of the very best he’d ever had. I found this for $160 and pulled the trigger almost immediately. What a letdown it was for the hype and the price and the age. 3.25, maybe a 3.5 because of that crazy blue razzberry I got on the nose. Sorry Joe, it just didn’t do it for me. Cheers

This was a part of a bonus offering by my Motor City buddy @Generously_Paul in our final SDT round 7. I know he went through quite a bit to procure this—his magic fingers put Google search engines working overtime. This comes across as quite elegant and refined, yet humble...strawberries and cream on the nose, followed by light milk chocolate and a wisp of fruits on the palette. It’s aged really well...I would’ve expected more of the oak to carry through, but no...retains the fruity backbone. Nicely done. Thanks Paul.

Strawberries, light oranges, roses, heather, powdered sugar and white grapes are on the nose. Pretty subtle, but hopefully just from the age. The neat palate is hot and burns without a little water. Adding a couple drops brought out raspberries, lime zest, vegetal properties, caramel, and brown sugar. It’s a medium to long finish for me containing cream, white chocolates, butter, and then dries. It is complex, but almost all over the place. I am trying to decide if it meshes well, maybe just not in my wheelhouse. It starts out like a Japanese whisky on the nose. The palate is unlike anything I’ve experienced, and is a bit chaotic. The finish ends with a heavy mouth coat and the opposite of delicate. Quite a journey that’s hard to put into words, but I’m trying. Man, the theme to this is a masterpiece. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” by The Beatles. It covers all the bases, that’s for sure. Thanks sooooo much for getting this one for us @Generously_Paul. I’m going to say 3.75.

I bought this bottle at the Cadenhead shop in Edinburgh a year and a half ago, but never opened it until tonight. I had no clue what I was doing truthfully, and purchased it on the strong prompting from the sales clerk. A sucker move? Perhaps. But in hindsight, here's my review: OMG SWEET MOTHER OF THE MOST HIGH GOD! This is my 349th review, and I have never begged everyone to get their hands on a whisky. EVER. Until today. Which unfortunately sucks because barely 500 bottles of this dram were ever bottled. But if you can, you absolutely must. This is, arguably, the greatest Speyside whisky I have ever tasted. Flawless is an understatement. And in its simplicity, it truly is sophisticated and complete. The nose is humble yet regal, with notes of honey, hay and a floral blossom that reminds me of walking through Kensington Gardens two summers ago. I was wowed, and still it paled to the palate. This whisky envelops your mouth with notes of brown sugar, all-spice, honey and carnations, with an oily mouthful and a finish that last ad eternum. I may just never open this bottle again, for fear of eventually finishing its content. Perfection!