Review #30: Signatory Vintage Linkwood 19 Year (1997) – Cask #7551

Distillery: Linkwood

Region: Speyside

ABV: 43%

Age: 19 Year

Price: $80

Color: 0.7, Amber. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose (according to the wife): Smells like sweet one with some honey in it. It prickles the nose a bit. There are some fresh cut flowers in here as well. Lovely.

Palate: While sweet, it’s not over the top with it. You get some lovely honey and malt sweetness notes up front. Behind that, there are several layers of fresh fruit in here—I detect green apples, banana, and citrus—that make this an absolute treat. Some vanilla helps round this one out. It’s got a lovely creamy mouthfeel that makes this a wonderful treat.

Finish: The finish is nice and long with that lovely sensation of warmth spreading down your throat, chest, and arms. Some of the citrus lingers near the end along with some fresh wood (it’s not oak, I thought pine). With a bit of water, some of the floral notes come out with an aftertaste really like that of floral tea. Very refreshing.

Conclusion: Can Linkwood make a bad whisky? Maybe, but I haven’t found it yet. I’m blown away again by the lovely layers of fruit and vanilla that make up the palate in this. Coupled with a lovely creamy mouthfeel, this is an absolute joy to have. The floral notes in the nose and the finish are wonderful and help balance out the sweetness and creaminess from the palate. Absolutely delicious.

Final Score: 92

Scotch whisky review #30, Speyside review #13, Whisky Network Review #40

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.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead