Joe_C
Linkwood-Glenlivet 23 Year Small Batch (Cadenhead's)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
April 2, 2018 (edited April 4, 2018)
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!
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When I saw this post I was like hold on a minute I think my favorite bar in the world might have this. Very very close. Cadenhead Linkwood - Glenlivet 24 year. Different age, different barrel and different result sadly. Don't get me wrong still a solid 4 but not nirvana.... same spirit, similar year and just different cask amazing the difference they make.
@Rick_M - that Lagavulin 37 is just begging to be opened and then I’ll just be begging for a taste lol. @Joe_C - someone that has rated and reviewed 350 whiskies definitely has a distinguished palate. Plus, if I don’t like it I’m pretty sure I know a few cats that will take the rest of the bottle off my hands haha. To those of you going to Scotland this year- I think we need to pressure Distiller into opening up message boards so that we can blog about the other aspects of spirits (ie: travels, distillery visits, meeting the who’s who in the malt game, etc). My next big qualm with Distiller will be having the ability to post a photo with your review. People need to show off- especially us Americans, lol.
@Joe_C - That sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!
@Rick_M We are doing the speyside whisky festival that runs for about five days. I think we’re going to be visiting over a dozen distilleries, not to mention all of the other whiskey related events. We're also visiting London for 5 days and Edinburgh for 2. I am just happy I get to go back to Edinburgh. It is my favorite place in the whole wide world.
@PBMichiganWolverine - Sounds nice! We’re already booked for St. Andrews and Glasgow area in August. I might have to buy a few casks on this trip. :)
@Rick_M we’re doing a 2 week summer vacation in England, but couldn’t swing to fit in Scotland. Just London, Cotswold , and Lake District. I’ll stop over at the Cotswolds Distillery for a visit though
@Joe_C - I’m jealous; where are you headed in Scotland? Lots of relabeling opportunities for someone with a little ambition. :)
@Rick_M photo looks great. Now you just need to open that bottle.
@LeeEvolved that's a lot of faith in my palate 😲 I'm so terribly backlogged on reviews, and I'm about to hit Scotland for a week with the intention of ruining my liver... I just may crash the Distiller servers with 150 or so reviews in about a month.
I’ve added Lagavulin 37 to the database. Looks nice, but too bad it may never get reviewed. :)
@LeeEvolved yeah...but I’m looking at the bright side,...I think my mortgage will be paid off early and my kids will have enough in their 529s for undergrad and freakin med school.
@Joe_C - when Distiller’s Reviewer of the Year invokes the Mother of the Highest God about a whisky- smart connoisseurs listen, lol. @PBMichiganWolverine - something tells me that 400% Home Tax deters you the same way the $0.75 expressway toll deters me from using it to avoid a dozen stoplights to get through downtown Richmond during rush hour- aka it doesn’t hahaha.
@Joe_C probably...but that’s good for us...means one to keep, the other to open up and share with his fellow SDT mates. @Generously_Paul ...turn up the charm, and work your magic so we can see this in round 7. 😀
@LeeEvolved 😳 you bought them?
@LeeEvolved seriously? Both? I didn’t bother searching...the 400% tax was a deterrent, as well as still recovering from my alma mater”s loss against Villanova last night
@Generously_Paul , @Joe_C - don’t look now but apparently some scoundrel sniped those last 2 bottles of Linkwood 23. ...now which box are they supposedly in?
@PBMichiganWolverine - “an apartment full of boxes and bottles...” So YOU’RE the peeping Tom my neighbors said they keep seeing loitering around my building! 📦’’’’👀
Couldn’t agree more @Soba45. The worst thing that can come from this is having 15 entries for the same bottle, wrong information entered, blurry pictures, etc. This app is nice and clean and I’d hate to see it cluttered up.
@Soba45 great suggestion regarding uploads vs photo taken
Yeah the functionality is pretty good just needs a minor tweak. I've asked them if we can upload photos rather than just take them as a lot of my bottles are long gone or I worked off samples. The only option left is to take a photo of a photo on screen which looks crap with all the interlacing. Also ability to split out the description to bottler, distillery, batch, cask, year bottled and age would be good. Other than that very useful...i just need need time to do it :-). Hopefully they don't open it up to everyone though as it'll be like other sites / apps where you get a lot of duplicated / vaguely similar stuff. Maybe once you've done x (100 or 200+ maybe?) many reviews.
@Generously_Paul this is going to keep @LeeEvolved real busy for weeks, An apartment full of FedEx boxes, bottles, and Lee with a camera phone. 😀. ( this is obviously the pot calling the kettle black)
@Richard-ModernDrinking 10 of us were selected to beta test the new version that allows us to add our own. It will need to go through some revisions before it’s ready for everyone
Wait, we can start our own database entries now?
@Generously_Paul 😆
Not if you’re going to snipe them from me. Only 2 in stock lol
@Generously_Paul got a link?
Found it for $190 US with shipping. Is it worth it?
Sounds like a must have for anyone here. Yes @Soba45 and @Joe_C, use the power wisely. As will I.
Already sold out at Master of Malt... 😕
@Soba45 😉
Aha I see you are wielding the power young Joe...use it responsibly :-). I have 100 - 150 or so to load in.....oh well hopefully someone else does it for me before I get to them :-)
@PBMichiganWolverine You really must. I'm sure it's purchasable online and worth the trouble and money.
Jesus, with a review like this, I need to look this up. Great one as always @Joe-C . @mikael, I noticed the upgrade to add ‘ requested by’...nice!