Review by: The Muskox

Here’s an example of how a palate can change from day to day and from dramming session to dramming session. I poured this Linkwood three times in total: once following a side-by-side of a couple Teaninichs, once after quite a strongly-flavoured dinner, and a third time with a completely fresh palate. I was ready to write it off after the first two times, but after my friend u/Herr_Maltenberg brought up how much he enjoyed this whisky, I figured it warranted a third try. I’ve separated my notes from the first two sessions and the third session to highlight the differences.

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Distillery: Linkwood.

Bottler: Jewish Whisky Company.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 55.5%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled in 04/2009. Bottled in 05/2021.

Cask type: Refill Oloroso Sherry Butt.

Color: Pale gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

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Nose (first two pours): Hot, floral, and unfortunately soapy. Youthful green notes – grass, green banana, and even green beans? New books, honey, and orange oil.

Nose (third pour): Not such a big change here, but it’s slightly less funky or soapy, and a little less hot.

Palate (first two pours): Medium-light texture. Not a whole lot of flavour at first – citrus oils, some white sugar (seriously) and a bit of soap. There’s an unpleasant funky note that reminds me of stale cheap bottled water. More flowers, grass, and green beans. On the second pour, I got some nicer flavours – banana, clover honey, apricot jam.

Palate (third pour): Quite a difference. It’s much richer, with syrupy stonefruit dominating the arrival. It’s still sweet and floral and green, but with much less of that funky/skunky flavour. Honey and madeleines.

Finish (first two pours): Fairly short – white sugar, flowery soap, and citrus oils. Some light sweet spice notes of cinnamon and cardamom. Lingering clover honey and banana.

Finish (third pour): Much richer this time. Gooey caramels, browned butter, cotton candy, stewed apricots, and orange marmalade. Just a hint of soap.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Those flowers are only decorative, please don’t eat them”

Notes: What a difference. I really thought those Teaninichs were light enough not to wreck my palate for this whisky, but evidently, I was wrong. I was ready to write this off as “Not actively horrendous, but young and very flawed”, but now I’m feeling more of a “young and flawed but decent and somewhat interesting”.

Final Score: 75.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.