Review by: Raygun

Bringing it back down to earth after a couple of reviews of crazy stuff. The last of a set of minis from TBWC that I bought, all 10-12 years, unpeated, in bourbon casks. Figured it was a good way to get acquainted with the brand. So far the Dufftown was the surprising best. The Blair Athol, however, was not good. Linkwood is promising, though this will be the youngest Linkwood bourbon cask I’ve tried. Rested about 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Linkwood

Bottler: That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 48.1% 

Age: 11 years 

Cask type: Unstated, but has to be bourbon. 

Color: 0.2 pale straw. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: About $31 for the set of five, or just over $6 each

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Nose: Promising fruitiness at first sniff. Pears, cantaloupe, and starfruit. Greek yogurt. Meadow breeze. Surprisingly nice nose. 

Palate: Follows the nose well. Pleasant fresh fruit, with some strawberry joining the pear and starfruit, and more cantaloupe sort of muskiness. Orange zest. Greek yogurt again. There is some youthful sharpness and shoe polish, but fortunately not powerful. 

Finish: Takes a turn toward caramel and orange—maybe even peach— but still got the cantaloupe. The yogurt asserts itself. Whipped cream. Still got a little shoe polish, the only real flaw. 

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Conclusion: Wasn’t expecting much, and I got a pleasant surprise. Young unpeated ex-bourbon stuff isn’t always very interesting, or even good (see my Blair Athol review from this series). I tend to think it takes a little longer to develop, whereas peat and/or sherry can cover up youthful aspects. This is quite fresh and shows the Linkwood character very well. I do think it would have been even better with a little more time, but still showing well even at this age. I need to get some bourbon Linkwood.  

Buy a bottle? TBWC stuff is a tough sell with the small bottles, but I would get something like this if I could.

Final Score: 76

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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)