Linkwood 1987 Cadenhead's (Blind) Review

Hi everyone,

Another blind review today.

As I’ve mentioned, I knew that one of these three samples was a 1987 Linkwood but I wouldn’t have ever guessed that it would taste like this! But then such is the nature of blind tasting. You can be surprised.

If someone had told me that this whisky was Tobermory, Glen Scotia, Port Charlotte or Longrow/Springbank I would believe them but Linkwood? No way.

Coniunctum Lignum

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Woa-ho-ho!! Weird! Serious levels of funk, like nothing I've ever had, smoked cheese being BBQ'd? Very odd fruitiness like lime flesh maybe, maybe there's some raisin but they've been soaked in some weird alcohol, cheap brandy perhaps, plastic sheets.

Taste: Sharp and intense arrival, plastic sheets, lime juice and burning film cannisters? Who knows? Raisin and a little sherry perhaps. Quite spicy now, with intense raw pepper and ginger.

Finish: Long length. Spice appears as well as oak, a little lime and raisin lasting too.

What the hell was this? Very strange and intense whisky. I'm guessing there's peat and sherry involved but no idea as to the distillery or even region. Despite the weirdness, again I quite like it, though it isn't exactly balanced.

Guess: 20yo+ Sherried Tobermory? Though perhaps more realistically, this is likely the Linkwood.

Reveal: Linkwood 1987 Cadenhead's 58.4% Small Batch from two Sherry casks, bottled at 28yo. Such a strange one. It does settle down given some time but I still get these very funky and smoky notes from it.

73/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #840

Whisky Network Review #1009

Network Average: 75.2

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Kilchoman Sauternes Finish, Rum Finish & Machir Bay Cask Strength Reviews

Hi everyone,

Kilchoman have been putting out some new whiskies that I’ve been trying to try as I’m quite a big fan of the distillery and what they put out.

So I’ve got some small batch stuff they released this year for your enjoyment and salivation.

Kilchoman Sauternes Finish 50%

Colour: Yellow-y Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Classically Kilchoman, smoky and sweet, slightly sugary, white sugar, stone fruit, fresh plum, a little funky and sugary candies, Mezcal.

Taste: Mineral arrival, then soft with sea salt and lime, little actual smoke, creamy sweetness, then more minerals come in with lots of smoke.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Peaty and mineral, the smoke really takes over, very little sweetness by this point.

The latest of the Kilchoman small batch releases and unusual in that it’s a finish rather than a full maturation as all the others have been. Nice but doesn't quite pull off the smoke and sweetness together. Here it’s one or the other.

74/100

 

Kilchoman Small Batch Rum Finish 56.2%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Oh so fruity, fresh fruit and peat smoke, kiwi, lime juice and cigarette smoke, PUB LIFE memories, complete with sticky floors, literally smells like a night out. Nougart candy note and banana now too.

Taste: Soft arrival, great transition into white sugar, kiwi, tropical and smoky, quite soft for cask strength, the classic mineral notes coming in now.

Finish: Short/Medium length. More smoke kicks up here, more mineral, some hard candy- candy cane.

4 casks, 2x 2011 & 2x 2012 bottled in late 2018 for the German market. Great unique nose but the taste is a bit out of kilter and lacking some staying power. Was quite excited by this as I hadn’t seen any other Kilchoman from Rum casks… Hypefully (intentional spelling) more of this to come.

77/100

 

Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength 59.8%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Very smoky, very mineral, very intense, cutting lemon citrus and creamy vanilla.

Water: Opens up with time, more creamy biscuit and vanilla blending with the smoke. More citrus and lemon too.

Taste: BIG, malty, lemon juice, mineral notes building. Powerful but lacking in the complexity department.

Water: Tequila, lime, sugar and salt, smoke. Better balanced and opens up.

Finish: Short length. Creamy with vanilla and biscuit and some smoke but it’s gone far too quick.

I preferred the normal Machir Bay I tried back in 2014. This was released as part of the European Tour 2018.

73/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #706-#708

Whisky Network Reviews #843-#845

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glen Moray Cider Cask & 1998 Cadenhead's Reviews

Hi everyone,

Glen Moray is one of those distilleries that keeps on experimenting, thanks to a handy ownership by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey who own a load of winerys.

Unrelated to that, I tried an amazing cider from Thistly Cross matured in Glen Moray whisky barrels. Maybe one of my favourite ciders ever actually. It was really good.

Anyway, it seems some of those barrels have come back the other way and finished off this UK exclusive.

Are cider casks legal as per the SWA?

No idea. Some have been told off for using Calvados casks before, SMWS used a gin cask and got a smack and, of course, Diageo were barred from using Tequila barrels…

And because I’m me, I’ve got an indie too!

 

Glen Moray Cider Cask 46.3%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Fresh and fruity, tonnes of green apple and pear esters, intense sour green apple chewy sweets, more and more of the cider as it develops.

Taste: Soft arrival, sour green apple, some red apple, some vanilla hard candies, Werther's Originals, caramel, quite creamy then becoming drier into the finish.

Finish: Medium length. More toffee and caramel here with an oaky kick very late.

UK exclusive, 2000 bottles. An interesting one to try. Not exactly sure that the cider has done a lot though.

73/100

Glen Moray 1998 Cadenhead's 55.5%

Colour: Straw

Body: Light

Nose: Light nose. Some malt, a little pineapple, very fresh and very very clean, some pastry and vanilla, a little grass maybe, hessian. Ethanol.

Taste: Soft and light, some grass up front then more fruity with pineapple and lemon, green apple, then malt, a little earthy perhaps, ginger and black pepper spice.

Finish: Medium length. Some chocolate and oak, quite dry here with a little green apple.

I guessed this was a 10yo Balblair! Not exactly what you'd expect from a 19yo but consistent with what Cadenhead's do from Moray.

71/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #697-#698

Whisky Network Reviews #833-#834

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

North British 31 Cadenhead's Small Batch Review

Hi everyone,

More old whisky today, again from those gents over at Cadenhead’s. I don’t review a lot of grain whisky, mostly because not a lot of it comes across my path but the older stuff like this one always intrigues me. And normally it’s much, much cheaper than malts at the same age.

Remember it’s also barrelled at a higher strength so they normally keep their strength quite well over longer maturation too.

 

North British 31 Cadenhead’s Small Batch 55%

Colour: Straw

Body: Light

Nose: Very light, very delicate, slightly tropical, gin, juniper, orange zest, cassia bark. Very gin like actually! Lemonade too.

Taste: Nice! Creamy, vanilla, oak, some spice, but mainly cream soda, orange zest, some juniper, lovely creamy mouthfeel. Nice sharp zesty lemon.

Finish: Medium length. Drying, dry oak, soda, some lemonade, ginger beer but a little spicy.

1985, bottled 2016. Very nice grain whisky here, a really good age where the spirit is still fresh but the oak hasn’t overwhelmed it yet.

78/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #540

Single Grain Review #10

Whisky Network Review #635

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Strathmill 22 & 24 Cadenhead's Small Batch Reviews

Hi everyone,

More from the Cadenhead’s table today, but these are two interesting whiskies from a little distillery called Strathmill.

I was introduced to the quality of Strathmill quite early after tasting a great sherry cask from Duncan Taylor’s Dimension range, but it isn’t one you see often and definitely isn’t raved about in whisky geek circles as one to try. But it is. One to try that is.

They use purifiers at Strathmill too, although they’re completely straight unlike others that are normally S-shaped. That gives you a lighter spirit than most others in Speyside, maybe almost a Lowland style to it.

Strathmill 22 Cadenhead’s Small Batch 50.4%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Light

Nose: Very clean, slightly grassy and ethereal. The spirit but not quite spirity if that makes sense (it doesn’t), green apple, toasted malt, roasted nut, some malt.

Taste: Soft, clean, clean spirit, slightly grassy, orange, a little mineral then juicy green apple, then some chilli spice and oak.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Oak stays then some nice chilli. Strong oak.

This one was good but I was expecting more from 22 years in the casks. The spirit has really been preserved well, very fresh stuff.

73/100

 

Strathmill 24 Cadenhead’s Small Batch 45.9%

Colour: Gold

Body: Light/Medium

Nose: Deeper and more musky than the 22, but still quite light. Banana, green apple, light fudge, coffee beans, quite ethereal.

Taste: Light, soft, lacking a little power to start but builds nicely with some chocolate, malt, then more fruity, banana and green apple, nice spice, ginger.

Finish: Long length. Lovely, malty chocolate and some heather. A little soap but it works.

1 Hoshead and 2 Bourbon barrels. Great strength. Really nice drinking whisky. Rewards small sips and holding in the mouth for 25 secondsish. Yeah, you could drink a lot of this in a evening. Pretty sure this is still available in the London shop too.

79/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #531-#532

Whisky Network Reviews #626-#627

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glendullan 1996 Cadenhead's Small Batch Review

Hi everyone,

Today I’ve got another obscure distillery that I haven’t reviewed before.

Glendullan, ever heard of it?

Maybe not, but that’s because all of it was used for blends up until very recently when it joined The Singleton range, along with Dufftown and Glen Ord. The Glendullan is saved for the USA market, while Europe get Dufftown and Asia get Glen Ord.

Interestingly, it joined the prestigious ranks of Clynelish/Brora & Linkwood A/B when Diageo built a new distillery next to the old one in 1972. They ran simultaneously until 1985 when ‘Old’ Glendullan was shut down for good. This fits almost exactly the same dates as Linkwood A (1971-1985). It would be very, very interesting to know whether ‘Old’ Glendullan used worm tubs and the ‘New’ Glendullan shell & tube condensers, as that would fit with the other examples.

I wonder if there are any other distilleries that have done this? Anyone want to trawl through MaltMadness profiles for me?

Anyway, this is an indie from Cadenhead’s Small Batch. Which would mean that they’ve taken a small number of casks and vatted them together rather than using them as single casks.

Glendullan 1996 Cadenhead’s Small Batch 55.6%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Light and malty style spirit, lemon, melon, wet chalk, some vanilla, light honey, an oaky alcoholic note.

Water: More oak, floral notes, dried rose petals, lilac, more honey. Watermelon and cucumber after a bit.

Taste: Intense, very malty, chalk, lemon, alcohol taking over with a flinty side, wet stone, slate, nut, oak building, barrel char, lemony oak, more chalk.

Water: Softer, beautiful arrival, lovely floral and citrusy oak, more balance.

Finish: Medium length. Intense oak, refill tannins and some weak coffee.

Bottled 2014 at 18yo.

73/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #431

Whisky Network Review #491

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Knob Creek 9 Small Batch Review

Hi everyone,

More Bourbon reviews? From Dave? Never.

Yep, I’ve got about three left after this and then you’re caught up on my experience with Bourbon so far.

So, this is another from Jim Beam, with an age statement and a higher proof. Does that make it better? Does having a funny name make it better? Let’s find out.

Knob Creek 9 50%

Colour: Bronze

Body: Medium

Nose: Lots of freshly crushed mint, vanilla pod, some wax, oaky honey, some rose, caramel, some spicy rye/grainy notes in the background.

Water: More chocolatey and fudge.

Taste: Lots of honey, vanilla, sugary honey, woody maple syrup, some oak, caramel and toffee.

Water: Aromatic oak and sandalwood then herbal.

Finish: Medium length. Lingering oaky spice, a little heat.

Despite the funny name, age statement and higher proof this is a bit ‘meh’ for me. A lot of very average Bourbon flavours. Although I did like the minty-ness on the nose, I don’t feel like the taste brings anything special or different.

65/100

Thanks for reading!

American Whiskey Review #23

Whisky Network Review #485

American Average: 70

Network Average: 74.4

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?