Review by: Raygun

Not quite sure what to make of the cask type. I guess made from wine barriques reconstructed into a hogshead and then charred? Threw it in the cart on a whim, figuring why the heck not. Exclusive for Binny’s. Rested for 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Linkwood

Bottler: Signatory Vintage for Binny’s

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 57.4%. Cask strength. 

Age: 9 years. Distilled in 2010. 

Cask type: Charred wine hogshead, #306190, 257 bottles. 

Color: 1.3 russet. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: $90

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Nose: Strawberry ice cream is the first thing to hit. Very creamy. Blackberry thicket. Twizzlers. Wood shop. Linkwood is typically light but this is dense. 

Palate: Lots of red wine flavor, like Cabernet or Malbec. Berries, plums. Fruit cobbler with a scoop of ice cream. Brûléed sugar. Roasted tomato and rosemary. There’s something strangely smoky about it, though it’s not peated. The cask char I suppose. 

Finish: Berry sweetness continues. Less cream. Still has the roasty, savory flavor, like a roasted tomato sauce. A little rougher and too tannic here. More wine influence, a jam sort of flavor. Not the strongest part of the dram. 

Conclusion: Not a very typical Linkwood. Unpeated red wine casks don’t have the best track record with me, but this was more hit than miss. The palate and finish were a kind of left turn from the nose, which didn’t come across as savory at all. The strawberry part was consistent. The roasty, slightly smoky flavor was strange. In fact, that could be said about the whole package. There’s something odd about this. It’s not very Scotch-y, is how I would put it. But interesting in its own way. 

Buy again? Sure. It’s different.

Final Score: 78

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)