13/04/2020 Three Linkwood

Funnily enough, we had two of these three at the same tasting, though that was a while ago! Eleven years ago, for Burns' Night 2009, to be accurate, before this blog's existence (some notes here). It says a lot about how often we have Linkwood, I suppose -- and that is a shame: Linkwood is such a lovely malt... At least, it can be. Truth be told, some of the SMWS and Cadenhead bottling of the past few years have been less than exciting.
But then, Radio Control reminds me that Starry, starry night was a Linkwood... All is forgiven! :-)

Linkwood 37yo 1978/2016 (50.3%, OB Limited Release, 6114b, b#4189): this sample is a remnant from the 2016 Special Release tasting in 2017. Nose: delicate, it has dust, cork and very old red wine. The second sniff is more generous, with toffee and fudge, Scottish tablet, bung cloth, a couple of drops of fortified wine (Fino is my guess) and wet, dusty cardboard -- in a good way. The nose develops a mild chocolate-y note, slightly bitter, in a chocolate-coated-almond fashion. Hazelnut shells also come up. Time allows it to reveal more citrus, yet it is mostly dried citrus: dry satsuma zest. Flowering trees or bushes come up too, gorse and cherry blossom. Mouth: ground hazelnut, grapefruit, ginger powder and tonic -- this is very Schweppes-like, actually. Sherbet, green-tomato ice cream (do not ask), apple mint sorbet, but mostly soft, woody tones and citrus juice (now lime). It is a little tannic on the tongue too, with ginger and lemongrass shavings in tiny doses, and it certainly is acidic, with grapefruit skins and pith also present, blended with a couple of drops of pine sap. Finish: the finish is gorgeous, with ground hazelnut, sprinkled with lime juice, cedar-wood sawdust, pine sap and a splash of tonic again. I assume that would be quinine, then. I have no quinine in the house to check. Ivy leaves on a chalky wall paint an idyllic picture. The acidity turns to bitterness in the finish, though this is not a bitter whisky; it is only in comparison with the palate. I will settle on lemon-flavoured Schweppes. 8/10

After eleven years in an open bottle, the next dram finally proves its authenticity

Linkwood 26yo 1975/2002 (56.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection, b#5373): nose: much more austere, if that is the right word, in this case. The sharp citrus is like a blade, and it is accompanied by dry grass (not quite hay yet) and gravel. Soon, it is joined by crystallised apple and peach drops. The third sniff sees dusty warehouses and old casks, then a dash of vinegar, before all that is replaced with thinned, lemon-infused vanilla custard. A slice of cucumber peel and drying lime skins provide the dermal dimension. *ahem* After the first sip, the nose unexpectedly gives double cream. Mouth: lemon-infused vanilla pudding, lime peel, pomelo. The palate balances the sweet and the acidic pretty close to perfectly, whilst also juggling the higher strength and alcohol integration with brio. Lemonade, cucumber peels, bulrush, flowering currants, violets, preserved lemons, Kaffir lime leaves... One would be forgiven for thinking it is floral. It is. Floral and citrus-y. Finish: a gentle bitterness joins, here, not quite Schweppes, this time, but cucumber peel alright. It is soon met by custard cream, vanilla yoghurt, baking soda and lemonade -- lots of lemonade, pomelo-infused lemonade (pomelade?), sherbet, lime-based cocktails (Major Bailey comes to mind), mint, Thai basil and lemon thyme. The gravel has gone, maybe (just maybe) leaving riverbed shingles in its wake. This is one of the great Linkwoods, in my opinion. 9/10

Wonder what type of cask this was matured in...

Linkwood-Glenlivet 21yo 1969/1991 (55.8%, Cadenhead, Sherry Cask): this was the very first whisky I bought from Cadenhead's, when they were still in Covent Garden. That bottle has been empty since 2009, but I managed to procure another one -- a mini, unfortunately. Nose: pfoooo! The word 'rancio' was invented for this whisky. Shoe polish, leather belts, treacle, teriyaki sauce. It is a dry type of sherry, with earthy and even vaguely sooty touches. Next up are wood varnish, encaustic, soaked bung cloth, a teak cabinet and a rum-spiked chocolate dessert -- dark chocolate of course (there is no other kind, is there?) The front of the mouth turns to oxtail broth, while the back is all wine-y and woody. Iso-Betadine turns up (it even looks like Iso-Betadine, come to think of it), as do burnt cake and roasted coffee beans, in the distance. One can imagine prunes and liqueur pralines with a strawberry filling, next to old staves and musty clay floors. This is really a cask for Germany! Mouth: earthy, drying, the palate sees teak cabinets, lacquered wood and tannins, Brazil-nut skins, bitter coffee beans, roasted cocoa beans, burnt cake, charred with a rum-and-sherry mélange. Caramelised marmalade, banane flambée, burnt into a dark pulp, burnt Dundee cake and coffee grounds. Yes, it is bitter. Yes, it is wine-y. Yes, it is woody. It is also extremely well balanced, provided one likes bitter, wine-y, woody whiskies. Finish: thick oxtail broth and strong coffee, with a wood stave floating in the middle. The finish is dusty and it has overly-toasted bread, coffee, grounds, burnt cake, stuck to the oven dish, very-dry earth, Madeira wine. This was likely an Oloroso cask, I would think. The Iso-Betadine has taken a back seat (it is really in the boot), but the finish still retains a remotely medicinal side: lint and mentholated disinfectant. Not too much dried fruit to speak of; perhaps prunes, expired for decades, shrivelled and turned into stone; fossilised prunes, in other words. This is on the verge of burnt rubber or scorched plastic, but it carefully stays on the straight and narrow. The finish is long, warming, dry, yet it leaves the mouth watering and the tongue throbbing. Beautiful sherry maturation, but this is not for everyone. It is rather intense. Because of that, and despite the fact it is very well made, I will not go to 9. 8/10