Review by: Raygun

Single Malts of Scotland has this nice budget line called Reserve Casks. Mostly (maybe exclusively?) parcels of bourbon casks blended and bottled at 48%. Roughly the equivalent of Signatory’s Unchillfiltered collection or G&M Distillery Labels: a budget line alternative to the pricier single casks and cask strength stuff. Linkwood is somewhat delicate, so should do nicely with this treatment. Reviewed from a sample from dustbunna. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Linkwood 

Bottler: Single Malts of Scotland (Elixir)  

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 48%. Not cask strength. 

Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2008, bottled in 2021. 

Cask type: Bourbon hogsheads 

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

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Nose: Cut grass hits first. Apples and oranges, maybe some grapefruit as well. Florals. A hint of varnish.  

Palate: Oranges with a dollop of cream. Still a touch of varnish, maybe furniture polish. Starburst candies. An interesting perfumey flavor, like a confection made with rosewater. Some good elements, but also a clear flaw or two. 

Finish: Floral and perfumey. Still has some furniture polish aftertaste, unfortunately. Similar fruit candy flavors, with artificial sweetener. 

Conclusion: I like Linkwood, but can’t say this is one of the better ones I’ve had. There’s a sea of similar products, early teen bourbon cask malts, and this doesn’t do anything to stand out among them. Comes across as a bit raw to me. I’d say these casks needed more time, but of course that would raise the price. Dustbunna liked it better; fell a little flat for me.

Buy a bottle? There are better Linkwood options out there.

Score: 73

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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)