Review by: The Muskox

This week has possibly been my craziest whisky-drinking week ever. Through two nights at two bars, Cagliostro and I drank eight whiskies, each distilled no later than 1979. I’ve already posted that 1966 Jura and the Clynelish 12… those were the least-good whiskies we had, and they were still pretty great. Now the real legends start…

We started with this dram for night one. Believe it or not, this is my very first Linlithgow/St. Magdalene. This distillery was located about 20 miles west of Edinburgh. It closed in 1983 during the great Whisky Loch, and has since been converted into apartments! I’m stoked to try such an authentically old-school Lowland whisky.

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Distillery: St. Magdalene / Linlithgow.

Bottler: Signatory Vintage.

Region: Lowlands.

ABV: 50.5%. Cask strength.

Age: 25 years. Distilled June 2nd 1975. Bottled September 8th 2000.

Cask type: Cask #96/3/14, an “oak cask”.

Price: N/A. $75 CAD for a pour at the bar.

Color: Gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Rich and sweet, with loads of fresh fruit and malt. Pears, peaches, mangoes. French toast with icing sugar and sliced strawberries. Caramelized banana and fruit jams. Toasted almond, nougat, and warm baking spices. Softly grassy, with a balanced dank herbal side and subtle earthiness.  

With a drop of water, the nose gets even richer somehow, with custard and wax.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Arrives rich and sweet. Lots of honey, candied yellow fruit, mango, green apple, and coconut cream. Sweet floral notes, maybe orange flower water. Super rich malt in the middle. Develops to rich oak, a hint of peat smoke, and an unexpected bright lemony note. Rosemary and more flowers on the back end.

Uh oh, the drop of water kind of killed this. If you ever try this dram, don’t add any.

Finish: Extremely long and shifting. Wax and honey. Tart apples and pears. Milk chocolate. Lavender and spearmint. Light smoke. More custard and coconut cream.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Brioche soirée”

Conclusion: Wow, that’s stunning. Amazing richness, amazing balance, bursting fruit, excellent structure, and a long and winding finish… there’s not much else to say, really.

Final Score: 93.

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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.