Scotch

Glenkinchie 24-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky (2016) Review

Here we have a 24-year-old, cask strength Glenkinchie.  Is your mouth still not watering?  How about I tell you this is the first time Glenkinchie used exclusively European oak.  In this case, refill European oak filled in 1991.  This expression from the Lowland distillery is bottled at 57.2% abv at a retail price of $450.

On the nose, I get cooked cereal notes and spice, sort of like oatmeal.  Cutting through is a bright citrus.  Pine tree and molasses (Jamaican pot still rum?) round out the nose. Taste-wise, we’re talking crisp apples and caramel at first, developing into lemon curd, grapefruit juice.  Did I mention spice?  There’s lots of it, thanks to the European oak maturation.  The finish, featuring some allspice,  is bittersweet and slowly turns a touch dry.

I do like the spices the European oak brings to the table, leaving us with a light and spicy expression of Glenkinchie.  8/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Linkwood 37-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky (2016) Review


I’ve never tasted whisky from the  Linkwood Distillery.  Not because I’ve avoided it.  Original bottlings of Linkwood single malt are rare.  Just about all of the whisky distilled at Speyside distillery goes towards blends.  Linkwood 37 was distilled in 1978.  It matured in refill American oak hogsheads and refill European oak butts.  It’s pretty inexpensive for a 37-year-old single malt, retailing for $900.  Linkwood 37-year is also bottled at cask strength (50.3%).

Elegant.  The soft, sweet nose features stewed fruit and some herbs, specifically fresh mint.  A light toffee note becomes more apparent with some airtime, along with soft spice, sandlewood, and a floral note. On the palate, creme brulee develops into cinnamon sprinkled rice pudding and baking spices, which leads into some garden herbs.  Things become a touch astringent towards the back palate.  The finish features light spice and anise, as well as hints of fruit.

A beautiful whisky!  Linkwood 37 year is probably my third favorite of the bunch.  Its fruity, spicy and dry nature is spellbounding.  Well done.  9/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Caol Ila 15-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky (2016) Review

Caol Ila is known for its peated whisky, but once a year it distills a batch of unpeated whisky.   That’s what we have in front of us today.  The 15-year-old was distilled in 2000 and aged in refill American oak hogsheads and refill European oak butts.  Like other whiskies in the Special Releases series, this unpeated Caol Ila is bottled at cask strength (61.5% abv) for a retail price of $140.

The nose is malty, with orchard fruits, lemon rind and a vanilla cream.  Caramelized apples dominate the entry, followed by hints of spice and freshly squeezed lemon.  A sweet malty character appears late in the palate and into the finish, where it is complemented by some oak spice. 

Overall, Caol Ila 15 year is a nice, delicate malt.  Though I can’t help missing that added peat element of the standard bottlings.  8/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.