Linkwood 9 Year (2010), Signatory Vintage Cask 306190 for Binny’s
Whisky: Linkwood 9 Year (2010), Signatory Vintage Cask 306190 for Binny’s
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 57.4%
Cask: Charred Wine Hogshead
Age: 9 Years (Distilled 18 May 2019, Bottled 3 April 2020)
Nose: Dried fruits, rose syrup, pomegranate, honey, almond cookies, white chocolate, subtle earth and garden.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dried fruit, apricot, berry, orange, white chocolate, garden, peppercorn, spirited prickle.
Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with orange, chocolate, and a peppery spirit note.
Score: 6+
Mental Image: Tunisian Dessert Cart
Narrative & Notes: The aroma spoke of dried fruits and slivered almonds covered in honey and baked with almond flour pastries covered in rose, orange, and pistachio syrups with fresh pomegranate. White chocolate arrived with a subtle earthiness and hints of a green vegetable garden. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile delivered a blend of rich dried, and crisp fresh fruits: apricots, berries, oranges, and pomegranates. A subtle melon rind and white chocolate paired with earthy garden notes, dried wood, and tingling Sichuan peppercorns, which occasionally veered toward a more spirit-forward prickle on the back end. Orange and chocolate lingered at the end with a spirited prickle for a medium-length and slightly drying finish.
I admit I had relatively low expectations coming into this malt; even though I have dedicated a whole week to reviews of Linkwood, including some incredible gems, the distillery has not historically been my favorite. Combine that fact with the red wine maturation, rarely my preferred cask type, and I thought there was a fair chance this could be a total train wreck.
I was pleasantly surprised with this malt; it had a lovely aroma, and the palate featured well-integrated fruits with subtle layers of white chocolate, wood, and spice. It was a tad hot, especially on the back end, as the peppercorns were sometimes more of a spirited spicy prickle than a flavor note, and that spirit lingered through onto the finish.
A few drops of water did little to erase that prickle; while a good teaspoon did soften it, it also washed out some of the distinctness of the fruits. When faced with a trade-off like that, I usually prefer to keep the complexity and live with the prickle. It is possible that given enough time, that spirit quality could mellow out, if not entirely disappear. However, even if that did not happen, I thought this was surprisingly enjoyable as is.
