Review No.104. Linkwood 12 Year Old

Whisky: Linkwood 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, 43%

Nose: Malt, barley sugar, grass, buttercream, lemon drizzle

Taste: Butter, lemon cake, biscuits, honey, black tea

Finish: Short, malt, oak

Score: 3.5

Summary: I was particular keen to try this Linkwood from the Flora and Fauna range.  I tried a dram of the Gordon & Macphail Linkwood 15 year old at a bar and found it to be very malty but also characterful with fresh notes of fruits surrounding it.  This 12 Year Old official bottling feels like a nice summer sipper.  There is a balance of malt, sweetness and bitterness but delivered in a delicate way which makes it a nice neutral whisky.  Kind of like a palette cleanser or an aperitif because you go onto something more bold. This doesn’t need water in my opinion, I think 43% alcohol works well with the flavours and delivery.  It reminds me off Hakushu but without the peat.  A good solid malt.

Scoring scale: My scores reflect a balance of the overall experience, availability and cost for a whisky,

1 – not to my preference

2 – tastes fine but does not excite me

3 – more to my liking and would revisit occasionally

4 – very much to my liking and would consider as a regular feature on my whisky shelf

5 – permanent feature on my whisky shelf

Image source: www.thewhiskyexchange.com