Single Malt Report: Linkwood 21 year old 1991 Sovereign (K&L exclusive)

For all that may be said (or has been said) about their spirits blog and promotional emails, K&L Wine Merchants usually selects very good single cask spirits (from Scotland, France, and the US).  Their general spirit selection (curated by The Davids to fit the limited shelf space) is difficult to fault as well.

Even when their single cask selections fall short of expectations -- from the oak issues with last year's Bowmore and Aberlour Exclusive Malts or the Bruichladdich Chenin Blanc cask -- these are outliers.  Many of us remember disappointment first and satisfaction second.  Also, tales of the Bruichladdich are fun to tell and hear.

This week I'm going to take a look at two of their single cask releases, one from 2012, the other from 2013.  I will tell you ahead of time that neither were disasters and one might even have been a pleasant surprise.

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Linkwood.  The US gets very few bottlings of Linkwood Distillery's single malt.  There are no official bottlings from Diageo (surprise!) in The States.  On the indie side of things, I've seen a Gordon & MacPhail version and a Chieftain's bottling; apparently there's one Signatory floating around and perhaps one Exclusive Malt.  But that's it.  Many of us have enjoyed Linkwood as part of the late great Johnnie Walker Green Label.  It has also been in an unknown number of other blends.  The distillery cranks out 3.75 million liters of alcohol a year, so we've had Linkwood in some form or another, but didn't know it at the time.

In the late summer of 2012, the Davids bought three casks from Sovereign, one of the Laing family's numerous indie whisky brands.  These were a Caol Ila, Caperdonich, and Linkwood.  I liked the first, loved the second, and now here's the third.

There's not a lot of online feedback about this whisky.  The Davids have said that this cask did not sell well, to the extent that they "wouldn’t choose something that tastes like" it again.  Two of the LAWS dudes were less than enthused about their own experience with it.  But my friend Daniel, whom generously shared a significant portion of his bottle with me, liked it a lot.  So I thought, what the heck, let's get a Linkwood review onto Diving for Pearls, finally.

Distillery: Linkwood

Independent Bottler: Sovereign (Douglas Laing)
Retailer: K&L only

Age: 21 years old (1991 - Aug 2012)

Maturation: ex-bourbon hogshead
Cask number: HH8696
Bottle #:  ??? of 228

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Alcohol by Volume: 58.8%
Chillfiltered: No
Colored: No

NEAT
The color is a light to medium gold.  It's immediately very hot on the nose.  It's a sensory burn with hints of acetate and chlorine, so watch it!  Gotta air it out.  For a while.  The first notes that emerge are fresh peaches, apricots, and apples.  Then almond paste, peach yogurt, and caramel.  There's also this note where tapioca pudding meets paint fumes.  So that heat doesn't entirely go away, even after 45 minutes.  It's also hot on the palate, but not as aggressively so.  First there's lime peel, cracked black peppercorns, and barley.  Then, with time and air, vanilla bean and tangerine peel develop.  It's simple but pretty solid.  Citrus makes up much of the finish, along with vanilla and a hint of milk chocolate.  I think I get some tonic in there as well, but that might be the lime notes tricking me.  There's a decent length to it, but it's mostly heat.

WITH WATER
Now lots of caramel notes develop in the nose.  Then peaches, brown sugar, flower blossoms, and cherry bubblegum.  The palate opens a bit.  Sweet lemons, vanilla, caramel, toasted grains, limes, and mint.  It's sweeter and buttery with spicier pepper notes -- all likely coming from the oak.  The finish mellows out, all citrus and malt.

Some main points here:
--It needs lots of air.  All of the online reviews I've read (though there aren't many) mention the big alcohol heat.  Yes, that heat's undeniably present, but it improves if you give the whisky 25-45 minutes to breathe.  Yeah, that's a long time for a whisky that's not 45 years old, but that's my recommendation for enjoying it more.

--It's much sweeter and oakier with water.  It's also an easier beverage when hydrated.  I appreciate that this was released cask strength, as this allows us to tinker with it on its own.

--It's reminiscent of Green Label, if one was to remove the peated elements from the JWGL's vatting.  That's a positive feeling, but it also made me which I'd had some Green Label at hand.

--This isn't very complex whisky, but it's reasonably solid across the line.  It just needs a lot of air in order to open up.  And if you're an oak fan, adding a little bit of water should improve the whisky for you.

My Linkwood experience is very limited, but I can see how it works very well in blends or vattings.  I'd be curious to know how the old Flora and Fauna release fares and how Linkwood stands up to refill sherry casks.  It seems like a solid Speysider, one that Diageo could release as an easy 43%ABV drinker, but in the meantime I may explore it further via the indie bottlers.

Availability - K&L Wines, though it has sold out

Pricing - It ran from $109.99 to $135.99

Rating - 84