Part 13 of Reviews from The Single Cask Singapore
Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Singapore is one of my favorite places to visit, and I leapt at the chance to finally return again during my summer conference schedule. I resolved to do a bit more whisky tasting while I was in the country and use my extended stay to drop by new places and meet new people.
We returned to The Single Cask many times in Singapore; the first time was to check out the place (found in parts 1-4). However, the half dozen other trips, usually just for a dram, resulted from that great first experience. No doubt, the fact that we stayed half a block away for part of the visit and walked by Chijmes, the complex in which the bar sits, just about any time we left the hotel, also played a role.
Our last night there was emblematic of the heart and community shared through whisky. We stopped by the bar shortly after opening for one last hurrah before heading to Changi airport and our very late red-eye flight. We tasted the happy hour special flight, including the whisky below, and, over a couple hours, found ourselves with pours from regulars who happened to stop in with their own bottles and offered to share, adding social media friends and swapping more stories about travel and whisky. We never made it to all the bars or places were hoped to, but it is never bad to have a few good reasons to return again.
Distillery: Linkwood
Bottler: The Single Cask
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt
ABV: 55.6%. Cask strength.
Age: 13 years. Distilled on 18 Sept. 2008. Bottled on 31 May 2022.
Cask type: Fino Octave Finish. Cask 304391A.
Price: $73/80ml flight of four whiskies at The Single Cask Singapore.
Nose: Sugary grab bag of Halloween candies, candy corn, chocolate, Reese’s Pieces, grape nerds, lacquered wood, subtle burning candle wick.
Palate: Medium-bodied, stewed fruits, a touch spirited and spicy, grilled stone fruits, licorice, tannic, dried plum powder, sour green plum, peppercorns.
Finish: Medium-length with hints of cream and stewed fruits.
Mental Image: Halloween Pillaging
Conclusion: A relatively straightforward sherry-driven whisky, this Linkwood was all cask all the time. I am not really into these massive cask bombs without some other compelling element to balance against the wood and wine. The Linkwood malt faded very much into the background, and, while I know people love to toss it into these robust cask finishes and maturations, I do not find the malt strong enough to carry them. Maybe that is the point, though. A profile loaded with Halloween candies is far too saccharine for my taste. Still, I know plenty of people who like that style and would almost certainly rate this higher.
Final Score: 74.
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.
Malt Runners 