Whisky: Linkwood 24 Year (1996), The Maltman Cask 8712

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 54.8%

Cask: Bourbon

Age: 24 Years (Distilled 1996, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Citrus and herbal tea, hints of jasmine, buttery pastries, orange, cream; mellow wood, paper, and antiques.

Palate: Medium-bodied and slightly oily, citrus, subtle florals, wood, hints of sandalwood, pepper, background notions of dried coconut and orchard fruits, more tea toward the end.

Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with citrus, oak, and a kiss of pepper.

Score: 7

Mental Image: High Tea among the Antiques

Narrative & Notes: The aroma opened with an invitation to high tea— citrusy lemon slices, jasmine or breakfast tea, malty cinnamon scones, orange marmalade, and subtle clotted cream. Soft and mellow notes of an antique parlor with our high tea arrived with dust bunnies and linens joining woody antiques, lace doilies, and paper goods in the background. Medium-bodied and a touch oily, the flavor profile continued the scene as hints of floral lavender perfume accented bolder notes of lemon tea and orange marmalade. Wood was everywhere as the flavors filled out the image of the antique parlor with lacquered or polished oak, hints of sandalwood, old lace, and a kick of pepper. In the background, shyer notes of dried coconut and apple lingered with strong tea. The finish was medium-length and slightly drying with citrus, oak, and a kiss of pepper.

As I sat and wrote this by myself, I wondered what everyone else would say about this whisky. One of my good compatriots at Maltrunners brought this back from Taiwan, and we agreed to go ahead and kick off our occasional group review series with the bottle. We have a few Linkwood gang members at maltrunners, especially my buddy zSolaris (who can also be found at ScotchandSheen). Even before pouring it, I figured they would rate this malt higher than I.

You can see the results of the group review here at Maltrunners. There were some surprising results, especially from notable Linkwood fans.  I fell somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Earlier in 2023, I did a week dedicated to Linkwood and reviewed some absolute masterpieces from the distillery; see this Linkwood 33 Year from The Whisky Jury, for example. My favorites had similar multi-decade age statements as the distillery benefits from extra time in a refill cask so that more beautiful subtleties come through. While I enjoyed this malt, it reinforced my impression that 1990s Linkwood lacks some of the depth of the earlier vintages. That said, this was delightful if maybe a touch heavy on the oak for my taste. Occasionally, that wood turned slightly bitter on the back end and finish.

The antique and high tea vibes I typically find on Linkwood were on full display with this cask. The aroma had a beautiful complexity, while the palate featured bold notions of citrus and wood. A stark peppery quality popped at the end sometimes, though otherwise, the finish was mellow and mild— perhaps a touch short, to be honest. Overall, a lovely malt that felt well-suited to be used as a digestif or post-meal delight.