Linkwood 1987 (Cadenhead Small Batch)

Buying whisky without having a sip beforehand is so dangerous. Today’s example is a Linkwood 1987 from Cadenhead.

Linkwood 28 yo 1987 (58,4%, Cadenhead ‘Small Batch’ 2015, two sherry butts, 1062 btl.)

Nose: very shy sherry influence, maybe Fino casks. Leafy notes, raw barley, hints of chalk. Some citrus and garden fruits underneath (apples, peaches). Hints of bread with salty butter. Green walnuts. Rather austere, few notes that get me excited.

Mouth: sharp and rather hot. Common peaches and pears again, before the oak comes rolling in. Slightly tannic, dry and chalky. White pepper and ginger. Grapefruit peel. Cider apples and walnuts again. Maybe green pineapple.

Finish: long, dry and spicy, with lots of citrus peel.

Strangely austere and sharp. Almost like a Lowlands spirit. Not what we were expecting from a 30yo Speysider. Around € 180 at the time, now sold out.

Score: 80/100