With even tighter ‘lock-downs’ happening around the world, our wee Whisky Ladies European Chapter carried on our virtual merry malty explorations. This time with the final trio from Diageo’s Flora and Fauna range….

The most natural place to begin was with the Linkwood – a distillery we’ve all tried before and have overall enjoyed for its light yet tasty and refreshing fruity sometimes floral character. So what about this official bottling?

Linkwood 12 year 43%

• Nose – For me it started off with bubblegum, for my tasting companions one found prunes and another almonds… overall we found it fruity, with a good dash of vanilla, light and honeyed… however as it opened up, the effervescent fruity quality subsided  and it settled into a honey hay
• Palate – A clear easy drinking dram, pleasant yet unsophisticated, creamy, with a bit of wood, light spice with some clove and tea
• Finish – Not so long but with a hint of raw faintly bitter almond

We concluded this is a perfect late afternoon early evening sipping dram. Something the cheerfully enjoy, taking your time… and while obviously of a more ‘commercial’ bent than some of the cask strength independent bottler vintages we’ve sampled over the years, its a nice one to have around.

We set it aside and returned after trying the Auchroisk and Inchgower… had it changed?

That delightful bubblegum was back – and how! Joined by some apple sauce, very sweet… still easy drinking with a hint of floral and one even thought of champagne!

Was it the best Linkwood we’ve had? No…. however if you want an entry point into this distillery, it isn’t a bad choice.

Our whisky host for the evening read notes from the bottle… which said a lot of marketing blah blah about water but not so much about the whisky. So I checked online to see what the folks at Diageo have to say?

A whole garden of fruit and flower scents in a smooth, long, complex yet wholly integrated Speyside of utter distinction. This 12-year-old single malt whisky has a rich and oily mouthfeel with nutty, cereal notes and an aromatic and dry finish.

• Appearance – Old gold.
• Body – Mouth-filling, smooth and medium-bodied.
• Nose – The first impression is of fresh soft-fruits (but indistinguishable), with a hint of vanilla in the background. Then light cigar-box notes are perceptible, and a faint hint of expensive ladies’ perfume. The whole effect is civilized, complex and tightly integrated. With water, it opens into carnations and lavender, with a whiff of perfumed smoke. There are traces of juicy green sticks, then cedar-wood, with undercurrents of pomander or dried orange peel.
• Palate – Mouth-filling and smooth. Sweet, overall. Viscous, but fresh and clean: a pleasant acidity helps to maintain this.
• Finish – Cedar notes emerge in the finish, which is long.

Curious about other explorations of Linkwood? There have been quite a few!

• 8 year Very Cloudy (2008/2016) 40% (Signatory)
• 10 year 48.2%, Batch 7 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
• 11 year (06/2007 – 01/2019)  58.2% (The Warehouse Collection) 
• 13 year (1998/2012) Cask No 5014 Refill Sherry Hogshead 46% (G&MP)
• 15 year 43% (G&MP)
• 16 year (1998) Côte Rôtie 45% (G&MP)
• 20 year (1995/2015) Summer Breeze Cask #20877 46% (Wemyss)
• 24 year (1991/2015) 53.8% (Signatory)
• 25 year 43% (G&MP) and 25 year 40% (G&MP)
• 28 year Linkwood-Glenlivet (1989/2017) 43.7% (Cadenhead)

What else did we sample in our foray into Diageo’s Flora and Fauna range?

• Teaninich 10 year 43%
• Mannochmore 12 year 43%
• Strathmill 12 year 43%
• Inchgower 14 year 43%
• Auchroisk 10 year 43% 

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