Linkwood 24 Year (1996) The Maltman for HNWS

This review was originally part of a group review with my friends over at Malt Runners! Pop on over to see their thoughts on this dram or see reviews of over 1,000 other whiskies/spirits.

This is a store exclusive selected by Hongniang Wine and Spirits (HNWS), a fantastic shop in Taiwan. Bottled by Meadowside Blending under The Maltman label.  

Distillery: Linkwood

Bottler: The Maltman (Meadowside Blending)

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 54.8%. Cask strength

Age: 24 years. Distilled in 1996. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type:  Bourbon,#8712,  probably a barrel at 195 bottles.

Color: 0.5 yellow gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: $220

Nose: Bit on the lighter side of things. Plain white sugar is what stands out the most. Lemon hard candies come to mind as well, but that might just be because the wife has so many hanging around the house. 

Palate: Very drinkable at full bore. Lemon curd and malt biscuit. With some water, you get more of the lemon at first. A little more time brings out other fruits, namely green apples and some pears. You also get some notes of fresh cut grass and a bit of hay. Funnily enough, the more water I had the more intense the flavors seem to get. 

Finish: Medium in length. Lemongrass. Bit more of the malt biscuit. A little bit of tannic oak in the back. A little bit of cream as well. 

Conclusion: As I was reviewing this, I couldn’t help but think that the group was going to revoke my #LinkwoodGang membership card again. Most of the other writers at Malt Runners found loads of fruit in this Maltman Linkwood, and I found some too, but overall this felt very straightforward and lacking in depth of flavor. My notes specifically say “tasty enough but nothing special” and that really sums up how I’ve felt about this, especially if you were to factor price into this.

Final Score: 81

Scotch Whisky Review #468, Speyside Review #166, Whisky Network Review #626

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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