Speciality Drinks Linkwood Tasting Notes

Speciality Drinks ‘Single Malts of Scotland’ Linkwood 1990 (16 year old) 58.7%

Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 1990 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: Sept 2007

Pungent aromas of Oloroso sherry fruit and spices. Nice dollop of mature honey and a good crispness to the fruit along with some floral overtones. Water brings out a disappointing vegetal note along with some honey.

The palate is big, rich and sherried! Just like the nose, although there is no vegetal-ness on the palate with the addition of water. Intense, medium length with dusty spices.

The Distillers Art Ltd Linkwood Tasting Notes

The Spirit of Art Linkwood 2009 (10 year old) 59.2%

Sherry Barrel 310724/ Dist: 2009 Btl: Feb 2020/ Tasted: Aug 2020

Intense, herbal Oloroso nose with plenty of dried fruit, coffee, green nuts and alcohol! With time hints of butter, cinnamon and dark toffee.

The palate is lighter than the nose suggests, opening with citrus, dried orange peel, raisin, walnut and prune. Quite herbal on the middle with a touch of coffee and building, slightly bitter tannin. Mouth-watering citrus and dried fruit finish with plenty of buzzy spice and tannin. No distillery character but the density of rich fruit balances the bitter tannin.

With water the nose is sweeter and the dried fruit has a slight granulated sugar coating. Less herbal now and more buttery. The palate is simpler, less herbal but still showing plenty of sherried dried fruit. Slightly spicy finish with coffee and bitter tannin finish which dries the finish a little.

The Sipping Shed Linkwood Tasting Notes

The Sipping Shed Linkwood 2007 (11 year old) 59%

Bourbon Hogshead 804348/ Dist: Jun 2007 Btl: Dec 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2020

Initially the nose is aromatic and floral with green apple, apricot, lime, dusty barley and minerals. Hints of vanilla oak appear. The alcohol although not intrusive does make the nose feel quite austere, especially in conjunction with the citrus.

The palate is quite alcoholic but its holding the sweet malt, barley, lime, apricot and apple in check. Subtle vanilla oak appears and the finish is masked and austere with lingering herbal/ green fruit. and gristy barley.

Water brings out the fragrant summer flowers. Lightly honeyed/ waxy now with hints of apple skin. Not a huge amount of oak, so the purity of the spirit character is evident.  The palate shows more honey and the juicy apricot and apple fruit has been released. Gristy barley and Sauvignon Blanc-eque herbal notes follow along with a touch of caramel on the middle. Long, juicy, barley’d and mineral finish.

Lady of the Glen Linkwood Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen ‘Rare Cask’ Linkwood 2014 (5 year old) 60.9%

Bourbon Cask 311288A/ Dist: 2014 Btl: 2020(?)/ Tasted: Dec 2020

A young, fresh and gristy nose with slightly waxy barley, tangerine, peach and pear. Subtle grass, gooseberry and with time some toasty oak.

The palate displays obvious alcohol but there’s plenty of juicy apricot, apple, honey and barley. Lightly bubblegummy on the middle with a touch of creamy oak. Masked but gristy barley finish.

Water makes the nose bubblegummy and juicy with .loads of white fruit. Less oily with more grass and green fruit along with a touch of granulated sugar. The palate is waxier with more barley and oak. Still juicy and mouth-filling. Long with lingering barley and juicy fruit.

Lady of the Glen ‘Rare Cask’ Linkwood 2012 (10 year old) 56.1%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Tawny Port finish

Cask 305474/ Dist: Apr 2012 Btl: Apr 2022/ Tasted: July 2022

Aromas of sweet barley, sweet tawny red fruit, sweet spice and sweet vanilla. Yes, it’s sweet!

The palate isn’t as sweet as the nose suggests as the alcohol has taken the edge off the sweetness. Drier tawny fruit, raisin, plum and subtle barley appear. Tannic, peppery, masked finish with a green wood after-taste.

Water makes the nose simpler and subtler. Less finishing cask and less sweet with a touch more barley and some citrus now. The palate has become rather bitter, especially at the start. Again, less tawny with more malt. Dry, slightly barley’d finish. Underwhelmed!

James Eadie Linkwood Tasting Notes

James Eadie Small Batch Linkwood 10 year old 46%

3 Re-charred hogshead- Cask No- 314374, 314377 & 314381

Dist: Nov 2009- Sept 2020/ Tasted: Sept 2020

A fresh, lithe and citric nose to begin with hints of beeswax, polish and sweet, winey, dried red cherry, plum and light raisin. With time it develops malt, liquorice, earth, cereal/ barley and a touch of wood smoke. A pleasantly balanced nose and not overly tannic.

The palate displays more dried fruit and tannin. Woody and dry but the sweet winey fruit, liquorice and treacle balances. Hints raisin, plum, walnut, citrus and malt on the middle. Pleasantly dense and rich with a good dollop of smoky/ toasty oak in the finish along with lingering spicy dried apple, cinnamon, raisin nutmeg and minerals. Lovely.

James Eadie Single Cask Linkwood 2008 (10year old) 57.9%

Refill Bourbon Cask 1/1 then 20 months finishing in First Fill Oloroso,

Dist: 2008 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

Very subtle sherry aromas, so the sweet, almost bubblegummy and estery white fruit, apricot and raspberry can be discerned. Hints of herbal Oloroso, clove, cinnamon and pepper follow. The Sherry oak becomes quite grippy with time as its influence grows.

The palate opens with the barley and subtle sherried dried fruit. Quite herbal and sweetly mentholated with prune, dried apricot, cinnamon, ginger and clove. Faitlry alcoholic and tannic on the middle but the grippy intensity is fabulous. Really spicy finish. In fact it’s an explosion of wood spice! Drying after-taste.

With water the nose becomes quite subtle with a little more dried fruit. Still quite herbal but less gippy and spicy. The palate is a little sweeter with more dried fruit. Lightly savoury and again less spicy but pleasantly soft with treacle and heather on the middle. Still quite spicy on the finish.

James Eadie Single Cask Linkwood 2007 (11 year old) Amontillado Cask Finish 54.9%

Cask 314152/ 11 months finishing in first fill Amontillado

Dist: Jul 2007 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Mar 2019

The nose is light and elegant with nutty dried fruit, barley, sweet apricot, almond, toffee, sweet sultana, grape and honey. Very well balanced which fills out well as the American oak kicks in.

The palate opens with a touch more nutty, dry sherry flor along with hints of apricot, coffee, toffee and plenty of malt coming through on the middle, to be joined by dark dried fruit, raisin and fig. Quite masked but mouth-filling with lingering nutty Amontillado notes and sweet barley.

With water the nose becomes very fragrant and citric. Now showing marmalade orange and tangerine and hints of granulated sugar. The sherry is lighter but still nutty. The palate is much like the nose, more citrus, more American oak and more nuts. The finish is still fairly dry and similar to it was neat, but a touch softer.

James Eadie Single Cask Linkwood 2007 (11 year old) Pedro Ximinez Cask Finish 57.3%

Cask 804776/ 10 months finishing in first fill PX Hogshead

Dist: Jul 2007 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Mar 2019

The nose is toffee’d and barley’d with subtle, edgy, almost citric dried fruit. Aromatic and slightly nutty with a pleasant maltiness, which balances the edgy sherry. Late green olives, cardamom and subtle waxy fruit.

The palate is softer and less edgy with more toffee and pruney dried fruit. Still quite malty and dark with bitter chocolaty tannins, green nuts, cardamom and green olives. Very masked and mouth-watering with hints of toasty/ charred oak and sweet vanilla in the finish.

Water makes the nose lighter, more herbal and nutty with sweet fig, prune, honey and a touch of barley and coffee’d tannin. The palate is subtler but still malty and nutty with treacle and plenty of herbal dried fruit. Hints of tobacco, liquorice on the middle. The finish is softer and similar to neat.

James Eadie Single Cask Linkwood 2009 (11 year old) 58%

Re-charred Hogshead 300025/ Dist: Jan 2009 Btl: Feb 2020/ Tasted: Mar 2020

The nose is very cereally with oat cake, barley and hints of honey and dried fruit. Pleasantly aromatic and weighty with developing malt notes. The raisinated winey fruit come with time bringing herbal treacle and raisins.

The palate opens with silky, winey dried fruit and hints of malt, cereal and raisinated fruit. Subtle barley and waxy fruit notes but the cask notes are beining to dominate. Gritty tannin and alcohol on the middle. Long and juicy with lingering rasinated fruit, coffee and pepper.

A drop of water brings out orange and tangerine. Less complex now but still aromatic. The palate feels a little lighter in  body and possibly a touch waxier. Subtler oak but the wineiness is still noticeable. Hints of coffee, walnut and prune follow. Shorter but spicier with woody cassia bark and tobacco finish.

House of Glenroy Linkwood Tasting Notes

House of Glenroy Specially Selected Speyside Single Malt 43%

Linkwood

Tasted: Sept 2021

A young, fresh and grassy nose. Slightly feinty with barley and very subtle oak. With time a gentle floral note appears along with a touch of honey.

The palate opens with the creamy oak and slightly hard barley and oily feints. Robust and full but a little rough. Short, slightly hot and feinty finish with a sliver of honey.

House of Glenroy 10 year old Speyside Single Malt 43%

Linkwood

Tasted: Sept 2021

The nose shows a lot more maturity than it’s age would suggest. Lovely sawdusty American oak, honey, malt and hints of coffee and ground nuts. It continues to evolve in the glass to show baked fruit, grass and citrus. I definitely wasn’t expecting that!

The palate is a little lighter than the nose suggests but it still shows that lovely maturity of barley and sawdusty oak. Toffee, baked apple and subtle spice follows. Lovely depth and developing citrus. Long, juicy marzipan/ almond s=finish with lingering honeyed notes.

House of Glenroy 15 year old Speyside Single Malt 43%

Linkwood

Tasted: Sept 2021

A nose of slightly gritty Oloroso dried fruit, herbs and citrus, which does add a fresh edge. Late stewed apple, subtle walnut cake, dark toffee and pepper.

The palate is full and gritty with slightly rough sherrywood and dried fruit. Hints of sultana, walnut, treacle and subtly sweet dried citrus. Medium length, tannic and alcoholic finish with lingering sweet dried fruit, orange peel and cinnamon. Overly sherried and a bit dull.

Global Whisky Ltd Linkwood Tasting Notes

Auld Goonsy’s Linkwood 2008 (12 year old) 52%

American Hogshead 303023/ Dist: Jul 2008 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

A fragrant, aromatic and barley’d nose with white flowers, sweet, crunchy barley and gristy, earthy mashtun notes. It’s a bit young but it has a lovely, natural character. Late notes of citrus and oak.

The palate is earthy and robust. Again, malty with a cereally mashtun character. Hints of barley, citrus, malt loaf, bread, oak and subtle floral notes. Masked but juicy finish with notes of citrus and spice.

Water brings out a touch of honey and Alsace-esque peach, pear and apple. The palate is still malty but softer and fruitier. Again pear, peach and apple. Lovely intensity and a long, castor sugar and spice finish.

The Red Cask Company Linkwood 2008 (13 year old) 57.6%

Fist Fill Sherry finish 303021/ Dist: Jul 2008 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Mar 2022

The nose is surprisingly light, with plenty of citrus and subtle dried fruit. It gains weight with time in the glass but the citrus gives it a lovely fresh edge. Late coffee, chicory and toasted oak.

The palate is fuller, oilier and richer. Almost meaty with plenty of dried sherry fruit and spice. Definitely a sherry monster but the lithe, alcohol enhanced citrus notes add a freshness. Spice returns in the finish.

Water makes the nose softer and more herbal. Still well balanced with subtle barley and citrus. The palate is still full and rich. Slightly meaty now with a mouth-filling dried fruit finish.

Mossburn Distillers Linkwood Tasting Notes

Mossburn Distillers No1 Linkwood 2007 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Batch 10.0708.6/ Dist: 2007 Btl: Nov 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2018

Young and fresh on the nose with edgy, herbal barley, which is balanced by hints of honey and vanilla. Slightly gristy with late white liquorice notes.

The palate is pleasantly fresh, gristy and barley’d with light, herbal honey and hints of pear and lime. Lovely, subtly creamy middle but the tart citrus stops the oak from becoming dominant. Long, barley and honey finish.

Claxton’s Linkwood Tasting Notes

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Linkwood 2006 (11 year old) 53.5%

Bourbon Hogshead 1726-89/ Dist: July 2006 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

Aromas of edgy but sweet barley, along with a touch of lemon sherbet and cereal. Yes, it’s a little on the young side and ever so slightly feinty, but it has the vibrancy of youth going for it!

The palate opens with dry and dusty barley with hints of vanilla and honey. In the mouth it feels more evolved than the nose would suggest – Just! Pleasantly intense and citric middle leads into a long, honeyed and barley’d finish. Personally I would have given a couple of extra years in the cask.

North Star Spirits Linkwood Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Linkwood 2006 (10 year old) 60.2%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: July 2006 Btl: May 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2017

A lovely fresh nose of lime, crisp white fruit, barley and grass. The oak adds a subtle vanilla custard note and with time it becomes quite honeyed, although the alcohol holds that sweetness in check. Quite malty with a touch of beeswax.

The palate is tight and mineral with a subtle honey and oily vanilla note. Pleasantly juicy on the middle with hints of malt, grass and flowers. The finish is a little masked but the honey and malt lingers.

A drop of water deepens the nose and brings out some lovely, dusty barley and gives the fruit a lovely fragrant edge. The palate is fuller and display more honey and malt now as well as some lightly oiled, fleshy fruit and a touch of coffee. Lovely, juicy finish.