Review #1: Chieftain’s Linkwood 24 Year Old – Cask #10369

Distillery: Linkwood

ABV: 46% NCF

Age: 24 years

Price: $180

Color: 0.9 Amontillado Sherry.

Cast #: 10369

Nose: Honey, according to the wife. I just get the lovely prickly sensation of wonderful scotch.

Palate: Extremely smooth, feels thick on the tongue almost like honey but not quite syrupy. Fresh fruit (specifically green apple) follows up on it strongly, but not the point where it feels like you’re drinking a sugary cocktail.

Finish: Finish is wonderful, with the lovely warming feeling all the way down the throat and chest. There is a slightly bitter note right at the end or maybe it is fresh wood? After leaving it sit in a bit of water, you get a bit of smokey peat instead of the bitterness–which is very nice.

Conclusion: This is a phenomenal whisky, one that has really inspired me to try writing up reviews! It has the lightness of the Glenlivet’s of the world along with a dash of the sweetness you’d expect out of a Macallan, a perfect combination of all things Speyside. I grabbed it because I was on the hunt looking for something distilled in 1991 (same age as me). I was a little wary given the price tag but find myself resisting marching back to the store to pick up another bottle. I’ve had a decent number of whiskys but this one easily tops the lot (pushing out a Pappy 15 year and Macallan 18 year) and will be the measuring stick for everything else I try. If you like Speyside whiskies, this would be something right up your alley.

Final Score: 96

Scotch whisky review #1, Speyside review #1, Whisky Network Review #1

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable. Mixer fodder.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.

Originally reviewed Feb. 02, 2018.