Review by: Raygun

A group of us put together a little homemade Advent calendar. Been a while since Christmas, but life happens. I’ve been finishing up the last reviews from that collection. Here’s one. 

Claxton’s is a new IB, with its first releases in 2016. Their Unicorn Series is kind of an odd duck, very small releases from short casks. This is actually the largest of them at 36 bottles. Sold by lottery, and naturally some end up on auction. Initially sampled blind, with additions after the reveal (months later in this instance) in italics. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes. 

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Distillery: Linkwood  

Bottler: Claxton’s

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch  

ABV: 43.2%. Cask strength  

Age: 35 years. 

Cask type: Oloroso finish, 36 bottles

Color: 1.4 tawny. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Now that smells interesting. Raisins, cherries, plums, and some Parmesan cheese. Now some licorice. Not sure if it’s a sherry or wine cask, but it’s very nice. I notice the licorice even more now. More oak as well.      

Palate: Very unusual. Mildly sweet, but there’s some umami in there and a distinct herbal flavor. Anise, even some cilantro. Still fruity, but more toward the dried fruit side. The plums are fresh though. Some cheesy sharpness, an aged cheese in particular. Still not sure what kind of cask, but I’m leaning refill sherry. It is a little thin even at cask strength. Slightly metallic.   

Finish: The fruity sweetness is there, along with the herbal flavors. Not a lot of oak and ABV is not too high, I’d say. Gentler here overall. Cherries, grapes, and plums. More cheese, like a Gouda. Grape soda and maraschino cherries. Could take it for a port cask. 

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Conclusion: This was fun. Very interesting flavor palette that is not like a typical sherry cask. Not too identifiable as Linkwood. A lot to pick apart here, with many different types of flavors. Pretty well integrated despite that. The finish was the best part for me. Who knew anise and grape soda go well together?

Score: 87

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)