Next up in our little discovery of the First Editions bottlings: a 24 years old Linkwood 1987.
Linkwood 24 yo 1987 (51,2%, The First Editions 2012, sherry cask, ref. ES 011/01, 588 btl.)
Nose: fruity (apple, peach) with a big minty freshness. Also a nice vanilla cake sweetness. Orange blossom and other flowers. All this covered by a layer of fresh oak shavings and ginger. Quite beautiful and refreshing.
Mouth: very punchy attack, with plenty of spices (ginger, white pepper). Rather sweet at first with apple candy. Quickly evolves on “green” notes of oak, heather and liquorice. Lemon zest. Some nutmeg and anise. Overall a bit hot without water.
Finish: medium long, gingery, with a slight bitterness of tonic and herbs.
Quite a minty / gingery expression. Lacks a bit of fruitiness (or a more pronounced sherry character) to balance it out, in my opinion. Better with a few drops of water. Mind you, I’m not the biggest Linkwood fan anyway. Around € 125.
Score: 83/100