Our tasting notes.
Nose: A delicious ensemble of warm, lemonade scones, fresh red-apple skins and apricot flesh rise from the glassware to join a chorus line of vanilla milk bottles, almond biscuits and a gentle grassy note that weaves through the aromas turning quite herbal.
Palate: The palate picks up on the lemon from the nosing in the form of grapefruit rind that is soon joined by ‘three milk cake’ and a little brown sugar. Hints of fairy floss join the whisky banquet in a mingling of red-rippers, spotted cinnamon and fresh chamomile, all working in perfect harmony, never over-indulgent, simply in a state of liveliness, bringing the individual flavours to the fore in a complexity merry-go-round that keeps on giving!
Finish: This is where the cask flexes its lumbering structure bringing mellow notes of toasted oak, malted vanilla, white pepper and a lingering sweetness that soon morphs into a drying farewell.
Final thoughts…. Pour a dram, go nice and slow and let time in the glass settle the initial heat and cream up the whisky. Sampling the bottle over a two-week period kept offering additional layers and more flavour, settling on a complex union of cask and spirit with an almighty herbal punch. At a price point like this, we’re hoping the liquid touches as many lips as possible across our great Southern land because this is Linkwood with a Samaroli twist, at cask strength, un-chill filtered, of natural colour, unshakable, complex and quite the Speyside anomaly.
John Lam (verified owner) –
A delicious dram.
Speyside lovers will appreciate the lighter side and sweeter tones that hold a juxtaposition with the mouthfeel at 56.2%.
As with many whiskys that I try, I do take on board how the flavours change with each sip with each passing moment
This particular release really lends itself as a conversation piece (as described) and enjoyed slowly, at your own pace.
You’ll find that initial mouthfeel very agressive but as you season your palate, those subtle notes that are hidden DO slowly reveal themselves.
Really impressed and happy with this wonderful Australian exclusive.
Top drop!
WhiskyIsMyJam –
On the nose: Elegant well beyond its 10-year-old statement, and presents an ex-bourbon fragrance, both balanced and complex.
A very desirable white pepper ‘dusty’ note I rarely find on all but the most syncro-meshed combinations of spirit and cask.
On the palate: A freshness without any hint of youth spreads gloriously across the palate with a lingering sense of strength and purpose throughout the finish. Proof ‘Natural Cask Strength’ can still be king (AND drinkable).
Still, possibly my all-time favourite Linkwood. Every time I nose and taste this whisky, it puts a smile on my face.