Whisky: Linkwood 22 Year (1975), Signatory Vintage Cask 9667

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 55.7%

Cask: Oak

Age: 22 Years (Distilled 22 Aug. 1975, Bottled 24 April 1998)

Nose: Fruity jams, toasted bread, a musty closest full of yellowed lace, mothballs, old wax candles and burnt wicks, brown sugar, newspaper, dark chocolate, and orange.

Palate: Medium-bodied, waxy candles, incense, linens, mothballs, soot, lacquered wood, orchard fruits, slightly tropical with time.

Finish: Long with herbal tea, linens, and jammy fruits.

Score: 8-9 (90)

Mental Image: Lumière, Maître d’hôtel Extraordinaire

Narrative & Notes:  The aroma featured rich jam on toasted rye bread enjoyed in a musty closet among antique lace, moth balls, and old waxy candles. Brown sugar and old newspapers arrived with a touch of wood lacquer, dark chocolate, and hints of orange Tang— the drink of astronauts, or so they told us long ago. Medium-bodied and waxy with large candles illuminating an incense-filled room of old linen lace, mothballs, and lacquered wood touched by soot. Fruits arrived later with apples, strawberry guava, and mellow melon, which lingered to the end.  The finish was long with herbal tea, linen, and jammy fruits.

Beautiful— this tickled my fancy with classic Linkwood linen and tea notes situated alongside sherried fruits and lacquered woods. It reminded me of my Grandmother’s hallway closet, and it was not the first Linkwood to do so, with mothballs, lace, wax, and newspaper.  The fruits were delightfully straightforward on the aroma with lovely orange Tang arriving late on and turning more exotic and varied on the palate.  Well-structured, the flavors evolved nicely in the glass.

Overall, I may be more of a sucker for old Linkwood than I previously realized.

Image Credit: Whiskybase