Friday, April 11, 2008

Have just tried ... Linkwood 1990 from Signatory Vintage

signatory linkwood 1990Linkwood is a distillery on the outskirts of Elgin in Speyside. It is owned by multi national drinks company Diageo and has a reputation among connoisseurs for producing very good whisky and has a bit of a cult following. Most of the whisky produced at the distillery goes into blended whisky, therefore actually distillery releases are few and far between. This one is from Signatory Vintage, who are one of Scotland's largest independent bottlers, and is 17 years old. The colour was extremely light (like straw). Considering the age of the whisky I would expect it to be darker. The nose is good with hints of vanilla, coconut, green apples and peaches (unripe ones, though). On the palate, this whisky is very light and delicate. There are fresh leafy and grassy notes, with some vanilla, unripe stone fruits and toffee coming through. However, there is an oily flavour on the finish that reminded me of smelling petrol and also something else that resembled hard wood or furniture polish. This made the finish very dry but it did cleanse the palate well. This whisky was easy to drink but just not that memorable, and I am not sure that I liked that finish. I think it would be a great summer drink, a good palate cleanser after a meal or a good mixer with soda or ice. It is refreshing and if you like a good gin and tonic then you may enjoy this.

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