Nose: Honey, vanilla, malted milk, strawberry liqueur. There is a touch of oak in the background and the more you allow it to open and pay attention to the nose the more you notice a very rich and satisfying malty aroma. Palate: Sweet arrival which is again all about red berries and fruit liqueurs. It is not syrupy, however, and retains a sprightly nature that is light and playful. In the development I get milk chocolate, ripe red apples, ripe bananas, vanilla cream, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums but all these notes suggest fresh, ripe fruit – not dried or stewed fruit. The texture is fairly neutral but good. Finish: Medium. Apple, red berries and a hint of white pepper. The nose on this is very fruity and sweet, as would be expected from the maturation in red wine casks. However the character is not like some red wine finished whiskies (*cough* Starward *cough*) that labor under the yoke of heavy, ponderous wine. This has a lifted, sweet character that is not subtle, but which combines excellently with the fruity, floral character of Linkwood distillate. In fact, this is a classic Linkwood profile but with the usual tropical fruit character transformed into fruit salad with lots of red berries. Adding a dash of water lifts the nose, pushes back the fruits and brings out delicate woody notes, and water also makes the palate almost dangerously gulpable. When I first opened this bottle a few weeks ago I was under-whelmed, but now it is down past the shoulder it is getting better almost daily. I’ve come to like this humble Linkwood a lot and the price is very fair in my opinion. It would also be a very good Speysider to share with a novice – they would be engaged rather than challenged while you would not be bored. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)