Linkwood 13yo 2013/2026

Linkwood 13yo 2013/2026

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold 
53.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried apples, pears, shortcrust pastry, dried apricots, icing sugar, foam shrimp, hints of starfruit, hints of cinnamon. With water, lemon zest, shortcrust pastry, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, mouth coating, volatile. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Dried apples, malted grains, lemon zest, dried apricots, shortcrust pastry, icing sugar, hints of cream. With water, vanilla, malted grains, dried apricots. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, white grapes, dried apricots, dried apples. 

Comments: 

Cask 300371, 300372. Very fruity whisky, mainly stone fruit, apples and pears. Lots of estery notes. With water it turns buttery and pastry-like. Very good whisky indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 2011

Linkwood 2011

Firkin Ten, The Firkin Whisky Co
Single malt - Speyside
Amber pink
48.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, milk chocolate, cloves, black tea, red grapes, cream, marshmallows. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, warm, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Milk chocolate, cloves, black tea, white pepper, cream, cinnamon, marshmallows, brown sugar. 
Finish: Long. Milk chocolate, black pepper, cinnamon, cream, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Sweet and luscious, perfectly sherried, very rich dram with notes of milk chocolate and cloves. It’s mouth watering, bottled at a good ABV as well. Very enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 26yo 1975/2002 Rare Malts

Linkwood 26yo 1975/2002 Rare Malts

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Dark golden bronze
56.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, lemon sweets, rhubarb and custard sweets, dark chocolate, sandalwood, camphor, pears, hints of white pepper. With water, dark chocolate, malted grains, leather, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, mouth coating, volatile, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Malted grains, dark chocolate, white grapes, camphor, sandalwood, leather, pears, celery salt. With water, white grapes, dark chocolate, camphor, pears. 
Finish: Long. Pears, gooseberries, lemon sweets, dark chocolate, celery salt. 

Comments: 

Super sweet, savoury and herbal Linkwood. The only Rare Malts Linkwood ever bottled. It’s magnificent, with pears, bitterish dark chocolate and a big heap of old bottle effect.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 42yo 1974/2017

Linkwood 42yo 1974/2017

Cask Strength Collection, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Green gold 
40.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, candle wax, toffee apples, cinnamon, orange peel, cream, barley sugar, honeysuckle, hints of lilac. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, tingly, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toffee apples, red grapes, orange peel, candle wax, cloves, greengages, fresh cut grass, hints of lilac. 
Finish: Long. Candle wax, greengages, barley sugar, lilac, honeysuckle. 

Comments: 

Cask 8440 + 8441. It’s barely whisky and the angels have taken a lot. But it’s still fruity and spicy, if not quite as bright as younger Linkwoods. It’s a little too old, but still very, very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 12yo 2010/2022

Linkwood 12yo 2010/2022

Fragrant Drops, Marble Cask Co
Single malt - Speyside
Pink
58% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raspberries, vanilla, apple juice, strawberries, cinnamon, malted grains. With water, strawberries, apple juice, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, hot, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Strawberries, malted grains, honey, white pepper, peach preserves, cinnamon, hints of fresh baked bread. With water, cinnamon, apple juice, peach preserves, honey. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, strawberries, peach preserves, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Tokaji cask finish. It’s very sweet and fruity, lots of cinnamon spice. This was very highly rated by others, and I think it’s rather good, if very cask influenced. I’d like to see more from this bottler. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 39.175 (Linkwood 29yo 1989/2019)

SMWS 39.175 (Linkwood 29yo 1989/2019)

2019, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber gold
49.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, raisins, white pepper, jasmine, pears, orange peel, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, cool, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Sourdough bread, sandalwood, pears, fresh baked bread, dark chocolate, gooseberries, hints of raisins. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, gooseberries, raisins, hints of jasmine. 

Comments: 

Quite heavy, thick and unctuous. Lots of bread and chocolate, with a fragrant sandalwood note that lightens it a little and makes it interesting. Huge extended finish that goes on and on. Lovely old Linkwood.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 25yo 1993/2019

Linkwood 25yo 1993/2019

Limited, Adelphi
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale gold
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, white wine, lemon zest, white grapes, cotton candy, hints of toffee apples. With water, pear drops, toffee apples, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour. White wine, oats, lemon zest, peanut brittle, cotton candy, fresh baked bread. With water, oats, vanilla, fresh baked bread. 

Finish: Long. Peanut brittle, oats, toffee apples, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

A great nose, lots of fruit and lemon, and a wonderful toffee apple note. It devolves slightly on the tongue, becomes cereally and oaty, maybe just this side of soapy. One or two points deducted for that :).

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Linkwood 26yo 1990/2017

Linkwood 26yo 1990/2017

Dimensions, Duncan Taylor
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber
45.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Toffee, lemon sweets, chocolate, leather, peanut butter. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, mouth coating.  
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Chocolate, lemon sweets, fresh baked bread, greengages, barley sugar, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets. 
Finish: Short. Lemon sweets, fresh baked bread, barley sugar, honey, toffee.  

Comments: 

Cask 5046. This whisky is like chocolate covered toffee greengages. I did argue with Marco and a fellow patron as to whether it was apples rather than greengages, but we had to agree to disagree in the end! Very pleasant indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 39.169 (Linkwood 29yo 1989/2018)

SMWS 39.169 (Linkwood 29yo 1989/2018)

2018, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside 
Green gold
52.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, cotton sheets, lemon thyme, lemon sweets, leather, vanilla. With water, lemon sweets, greengages, grapefruit. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, greengages, vanilla, cotton sheets, lemon thyme, leather, hints of green tea. With water, lemon zest, green tea, greengages. 
Finish: Long. Lemon thyme, white grapes, green tea, hints of toffee. 

Comments: 

Well aged Linkwood. This whisky is fruity and herbal, white characteristic of Linkwood in that sense, but so the a clarity and depth that comes from lengthy time in good wood. I enjoyed this very much. .

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 39.200 (Linkwood 13yo 2007/2020)

SMWS 39.200 (Linkwood 13yo 2007/2020)

2020, SMWS 
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber 
59.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, coffee, chocolate, raisins, walnuts, brown paper, fresh cut grass, hints of malted grains. With water, chocolate, rhubarb and custard sweets, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, loosens, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Chocolate, black tea, fresh baked bread, vanilla ice cream, dried apples, hints of cream. With water, honey, malted grains, chocolate, raisins. 
Finish: Medium. Cream, vanilla ice cream, chocolate, raisins. 

Comments: 

Lots of chocolate and dried fruits, although I think this was matured in an ex bourbon barrel. The high ABV is a little off putting, so some water is essential. Quite tasty indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Linkwood 12yo 2008/2021

Linkwood 12yo 2008/2021

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber, hints of red
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, red grapes, honey, dried apples, black tea, hints of mint. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, warm, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, honey, dried apples, barley sugar, malted grains, hints of mint, hints of dried apricots. 
Finish: Long. Orange peel, dried apricots, orange juice, mint, raisins. 

Comments: 

Another youngish Linkwood, this time quite heavily sherried (PX cask finish). It’s really quite sweet, lots of dried fruit, and the herbal grassiness manifests as a faint minty flavour throughout.

Verdict:

I like this.

Linkwood 12yo Galil Mountain Wine Finish

Linkwood 12yo Galil Mountain Wine Finish

DS Tayman
Single malt - Speyside 
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh cut grass, fresh baked bread, raisins, starfruit, white grapes, peaches. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, airy, loosens.  
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Raisins, white grapes, fresh cut grass, starfruit, sage, green tea, hints of ginseng.
Finish: Medium. Fresh cut grass, sage, honey, green tea. 

Comments: 

Youngish Linkwood, quite herbal and grassy. There’s some sweetness in there, presumably from the wine cask, as well as tropical fruit. It’s a decent dram for the price, but I’m not sure the wine finish adds much. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Linkwood 25yo

Linkwood 25yo

Distillery Labels, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber red
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Red wine, yoghurt, orange peel, raisins, cloves, hints of cheddar cheese, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, watery, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Red wine, raisins, cloves, aluminium foil, black tea, cheddar cheese, hints of chillies. 
Finish: Short. Brass polish, aluminium foil, raisins, chocolate. 

Comments: 

Nice bold and robust Speyside, lots of fruit and spice on the nose and tongue. It's paired with a hint of umami, something quite cheesy and slightly savoury. There are odd metallic notes here and there on the tongue and on the finish, which I gather some others describe as 'oily' or 'dusty'.

Verdict:

I like this.

Linkwood 21 yo 1995/2016

Linkwood 21 yo 1995/2016

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
51.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, vanilla, roses, dried apples, hints of white grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, roses, sea salt, coffee, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, orange peel, coffee, dried apples. 

Comments: 

Cask ref DL11357. Delicately floral and fragrant on the nose, but turns much more robust and savoury on the tongue. Orange peel and white grapes turn to chocolate spiked with sea salt, and a chocolatey, slightly bitter finish. The roses are a constant though.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Linkwood 15 yo

Linkwood 15 yo

Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, cream, red grapes, raspberries, apples, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Toast, vanilla, red grapes, raisins, raspberries, apples, hints of cinnamon . 
Finish: Short. Red grapes, raspberries, apples, hints of raisins. 

Comments: 

Hmm. Lots of estery fruit, slightly tart. A good deal of sherry in this one - not sure if it's the whisky or the wood. Slightly smoky on the nose, this becomes (buttered?) toast on the tongue. My grand conclusion is that I need to drink more Linkwood.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 39.82 (Linkwood 13 yo 1997/2011)

SMWS 39.82 (Linkwood 13 yo 1997/2011)

2011, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
60% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, roses, lemon zest, pears, hints of toffee. With water, pears, hay, grass. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, spicy, weighty in the mouth. 
Tasting: Sweet sour. Leather, pasilla chillies, roses, lemon zest, butterscotch. With water, grass, pears, slightly bitter. 
Finish: Long. Warm, leather, roses, pears. 

Comments: 

Fruity and flowery on first nosing, but with an undertone of leather trousers. That's not as unpleasant as it sounds. Once water was added, it became much more light, turning grassy and vegetal while retaining its fruit and floral notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 39.61 (Linkwood 11 yo 1996/2007)

SMWS 39.61 (Linkwood 11 yo 1996/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale copper
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, honey, strawberries, bubble gum, apples, raisins, hints of leather. With water, pears, magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slightly oily, warm, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Vanilla, strawberries, apples, black tea, raisins, hints of leather. With water, pears, magic marker, hints of olive oil.
Finish: Medium. Black tea, apples, strawberries.

Comments:

Sweetly perfumed, if a little odd with water. This whisky actually tastes stronger, once a little water is dribbled in. I associate impressions of strength with a higher solvent-y scent - in this case, the acetone present in magic marker, which bursts out of the whisky upon addition of water. Interesting stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 39.65 (Linkwood 11 yo 1996/2007)

SMWS 39.65 (Linkwood 11 yo 1996/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
54.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brass polish, lemons, photocopy paper, biscuit, butterscotch, hints of peat, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, smooth, hot, volatile.
Tasting: Sour bitter. Oranges, lemons, vanilla, butter, peanuts, brass polish, hints of raisins, hints of caramel.
Finish: Medium. Orange blossom, raisins, lemons, hints of chillies.

Comments:

Brash, bold, brassy. A little like a strong Rosebank at the beginning, but then becomes steadily more gentle in the mouth. The orange blossom notes in the finish are quite soft and silky. A whisky that tells a story.

Verdict:

I like this.