If you’re thinking that you’ve never heard of this bottler, that would make perfect sense since this is the only bottling under their name. I had this sample a while ago and I still had no recollection of it, also in part because JPH and I tried this one semi-blind.

In this case, semi-blind means that we did consciously order the samples, but when we tried some of the batch of samples, we didn’t check beforehand which was which.

My most memorable Linkwood 1973 was a bottling done for the 10th anniversary of The Whisky Exchange, ages ago. Back when things were more affordable. It was also part of why I was quite eager to get my hands on this one, since Linkwood from that era holds such good memories.

Let’s find out if this one lives up to those memories!

Sniff:
Chocolate oranges, honey and burlap. There’s quite some maturity to this, with old oak. After a minute the orange mutates into dried lemon wedges. Some dried peaches in the background.

Sip:
The palate is a bit lower in ABV than the previous whisky, I think. Although it doesn’t really have a thin texture. Some peppery heat, oak shavings, dried orange and apricot. Again, a bit of hessian or burlap. Almond flour, there’s a bit of a slightly bitter touch to it.

Swallow:
The finish is very much a mouth coating. Still dry, but clinging to everything. Warming, with lots of oak, a bit of a fireplace ashy flavor too. Dried citrus, and the bitterness has gone.

I would have sworn this was a rather timid sherry cask, but I guess that is what such long and uninterrupted maturation does to a dram. The chocolate oranges that shift from orange to lemon makes perfect sense for Linkwood, since lemony flavors are not uncommon in hoppy beers, which is what I always seem to get with Linkwood. Glorious stuff, this!

91/100