Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Linkwood.

Bottler: Cadenhead’s.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 43.2%. Cask strength.

Age: 15 years. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Bourbon hogshead.

Price: Seem to recall £15-20 for 200mL, though I’ve lost the receipt.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: rich estery fruit, mint, camphor, liquorice, goes a bit more malty, green melon, Asian pear.

Palate: medium body ~ liquorice, papaya, more green melon, some leafiness, grass, pear candy, some bitterness, lemon drops.

Finish: medium-long ~ malty funk, salt, earth, dried apples, more Asian pears and grass.

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Conclusion: A very nice, concentrated Linkwood ~ the low ABV belies how saturated the flavors are here, which I find often with this distillery, but also seem to find when leaky casks are involved (and yes, that 43.2% is cask strength— I checked with the shop.) I don’t know which Cadenhead’s line this belongs to, as only this 20cl with their generic label was in the London shop when I visited, and as I write this I’ve not yet seen a full bottle appear online.

The palate perhaps does not rise to the level of the nose for me, and it’s not quite as engaging as the SMoS Linkwood I last reviewed. The Asian pear note here catches my attention, though— and honestly, on the whole this one falls right into the middle of the pack of Linkwoods I’ve tried that have all been fun, fresh, and tasty. Like Dailuaine, it’s become a distillery for which I keep a constant eye out.

Final Score: 84.

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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.