Kategoriarkiv: Linkwood

Artist Collective, Independent bottlers, Linkwood, Speyside

Linkwood 21 YO (Artist Collective 2.1)

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ABV: 58 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there’s a dark overripe plum and raisin note sitting on top of a fresher floral and fruity base. There’s a cooling mint hovering above all as well. The distillate feels very clean and well made but there’s a nail polish remover note attached to it which brings the whole down a bit. When it settles there’s a somewhat gritty note coming through with sulfur and signs of age with some dust and leather. With time in the glass it becomes brighter and delivers dried assorted fruits. This is a nice sherry driven nose with some complexity to it.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate spicy punch and a mix of ripe red berries, coconut flakes and dried fruits. There’s a rather big and bitter black coffee note in the back together with sour lemon freshness and baking spices. The leather and dust is still in there as well as a slightly floral complex note. It’s not an easy sipper by no means and it hasn’t got a sweet character although there’s a sweet shell surrounding everything else. It’s slightly astringent at this point but it feels rich overall.

Finish: A dusty fruitiness builds up together with the spicyness. It’s now a rather perfumey note which is dominating the center part. It’s got a citrus base and a floral top note. The bitter black coffee note is still residing in the back and the astringency increases slightly. There’s still not much of a sweetness. After a while the sherry delivers some sweetness attached to the red berries and leather notes. The gritty character is completely gone as well as the nail polish remover note found on the nose. The oakiness arrives late and it really doesn’t show up before most of the other flavours disappear. It’s a nice oakiness with the black coffee note attached to it as well as a walnut nuttiness. This is a very good whisky with a complex character.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 1997 and was drawn from a batch of 5 refill sherry hogsheads exclusivly for Le Maison du Whisky. This is from collective #2.1.

Linkwood, Speyside

Linkwood 12 YO 2007 – The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Cask Series Parcel No. 2 (Elixir Distillers)

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ABV: 48 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet and slightly dusty layer of honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice. Underneath there’s a small basket of green apples and pears. There’s a hint of mint floating around on top. It becomes fruitier with time in the glass. The whole thing is quite delicate and it feels somewhat brittle. In this case that makes it all the more interesting because it still feels very three-dimensional. This is a simple yet absolutely fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts way more punchy than the nose suggest. At first there’s a spicy kick and a rich maltiness. The fruits are still very much in focus and have switched places with the sweet honey and vanilla. In the background there’s a nice touch of bitterness which makes the whole thing fill up the entire palate. It’s still very dusty and the whole thing is extremely rich. The fruits start to change and turns more towards ripe apples after a few seconds.

Finish: It starts out with a continuation of the spicy overlay. It now feels like freshly ground pepper. The sweet and fruity character is continuing on the same path as before; The fruits ripen and move forward while the sweetness moves back a bit more. It still has a malty core and the gentle bitterness is still creating a background layer without increasing in intensity. The oakiness comes fashionably late and when it does it sort of emerge from the bitter notes in the back. It’s a nice and slightly savory oakiness with a small hint of ham and hazelnuts. This is an absolutely fantastic whisky which has a great journey from start to finish. Not all whiskies need big bold flavours to impress.

Additional information
This linkwood was distilled in 2007 and was aged for 12 years in 4 hogsheads by indipendent bottler Elixir Distillers. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.