Mossburn Vintage Casks Linkwood 12 Year Cask Strength

The Party Source pick Sourced - Linkwood Distillery Batch No. 11.0411.SC43.175 Barrel filled - 2011; Bottled on - 07-10-2023 Aged in ex-cognac barrels Age - 12 years 58.2% abv; 116.4 proof Open 2 months Nose - Red grapes, raisins, Maraschino cherries, sweet cereal grain, light brine, pine needles, light barrel char, and medium ethanol. Amazing nose. Palate - Fresh pop of grapes and cherries, plum, Fig Newton, malt syrup, salted caramel, and mint. Finish is long with raisins, figs, saltwater taffy, cocoa, grain, Red Hots, and medium ethanol. In 2022 shortly after I moved to Cincinnati, The Party Source released a Mossburn pick with Craigellachie 13Y aged n ruby port, which was fantastic. This is on another level entirely. They also co-released a Ben Nevis 10Y cask strength aged in ex-madeira casks. I've never heard of either. They had a seasonal even where they offering free tastings for a lot of whiskeys and other liquors, so I got to try both. The Ben Nevis was excellent, but the Linkwood was so unique with the cognac finish. I bought it immediately. Plus it helped that it was $10 cheaper than the Ben Nevis. When factoring in price, this is the best Scotch I've had. Even if I don't factor in price, it's still top 3. I've never had the base series of Mossburn blended malts, but these single barrels are phenomenal. I already bought 2 more, one for me and one as a gift. What puts it over the top is the unique finish. All of the cask strength Scotch I've had are Islay, Speyside with heavy sherry, or non-peated ex-bourbon. The cognac flavors work so damn well, I'm actually surprised I don't see more finishes like this. If you happen to see a Mossburn store pick in your area, I highly recommend buying it.