Continuing with our selection of Speyside Scotches, we are moving on to Linkwood, one of the most intriguing of Speysiders. Linkwood's original bottlings are not available in the United States, so the only way to get it in this country is through independent bottlers.
I had my first Linkwood last year, an excellent bottling by by Dun Bheagan. That Linkwood was memorable in that it tasted much more like a typical Northern Highlander than a Speysider...it was rugged and woody and lacked the smoothness that Speyside is famous for (but that I'm not so fond of). Ever since then I've been trying to expand my Linkwood experience
Tasting
Linkwood, 11 years old, Distilled 1990/Bottled 2002, Bottled by Murray McDavid, aged in fresh sherry casks, 46% alcohol.
The nose on this baby is pure sherry...fruit, wine and all that jazz. The taste gives you some malt, followed by sherry and wood and that sherry stays on for the finish. First glass out of the bottle of this was ultra woody on the finish, but I found that mellowed over time.
This is a heavily sherried Linkwood, but much more complex than the Macallan cask strength we tried two weeks ago. It has a heavy sherry aroma but the flavor has malt and a good portion of wood. Overall a nice whiskey, but not as appealing as the earlier Linkwood I'd tried.
Next Week: Peat comes to the Speyside
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