Linkwood 12 Year SMWS 39.185 “Splinter-studded spanking”
Whisky : Linkwood 12 Year SMWS 39.185 “Splinter-studded spanking”
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 59.4%
Cask : 10Y Ex-Bourbon, 2Y New Oak Heavy Char #4
Age : 12 Years (Distilled 12 July 2006)
Nose : Meat and machine. Bratwurst, sausage, caramelized onions, and vinegar relish. Napa Auto-parts store, new rubber tire, coffee vending machine, oil, turpentine, sprayed clear coat of paint, and wax.
Palate : Medium heavy body with the sweet chemical smell of burning napalm and dry lacquered wood. Oil, varnish, turtle wax, and Armor All keep us in the automotive department, car wash, or hardware store paint section. Slightly tannic with waxy notes of red apple skins and honeycomb.
Finish : Medium length meaty spice, green apples, and tannic dryness.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Home Depot Sausage Cart
Something Better : Laphroaig Cairdeas 2019 Triple Wood (similar varnish/wood notes, more maritime)
Something Similar : Ledaig 11 Year; The Whisky Barrel (similar meat/sausage/wax, more fruit)
Something Worse : Arran Machrie Moor CS 2nd Ed. (similar sausage, more smoke, less body)
Notes : Do your local hardware stores also have random food stalls/trucks sitting outside of them? I have never stopped and grabbed food at one, but I love the smell of lumber and meat in the parking lot.
This was a weird one— loads of meat, char, and an almost sulfurous-rubber quality that carried the overall impression into an automotive supply store. At the same time oaky notes of honey and spice pulled the palate toward the hardware store. This bottle benefited a lot from time to breath— at first it was all hotdog and vinegar on hot leather seats— overtime it developed greater depth and a rich complexity. I have not had a whole lot of Linkwood to date, so this was probably my favorite one, but this was not a bottle I would chase after— though I would happily enjoy a pour of it.
