Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 54.5%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon, ex-Porto finish
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Gleann Mòr Spirits Company
Average price: € 140.00
Official webisite: gmspirits.com
Vote: 89/100
Founded in 2015, Gleann Mòr is an independent Scottish bottler based in Edinburgh, which despite its young age has already carved out a certain reputation among connoisseurs with its offerings, especially those of the most prestigious series, Rare Find, to which today’s whisky belongs. In addition to whisky, Gleann Mòr also deals in gin, rum and pre-mixed cocktails, and is the official partner of the local football team, Hibernian Edinburgh.
Today we taste a Linkwood single cask distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2016 at cask strength, which after several years in ex-bourbon received a finish of unspecified duration in an ex-port barrel.
Linkwood whisky is notoriously pliable, but the influence of Port – as you know – can be difficult to handle. Let’s see how it goes here.
Tasting Notes
The colour is gold.
On the nose, the attack is decidedly floral with a rich bouquet in which violets, lily of the valley and cyclamen stand out. A light peppery note caresses hints of freshly baked bread and berry gumdrops. But the gummies are not finished: we also find apricot gummies. Dried figs and peach draw the contours of a non-preponderant fruity side, with a citric background note that can be traced back to lemon peel. A mirage of vanilla is accompanied by a sensation of red grapes freshly picked from the vine. After drinking, a curious impression of bread crust remains in the glass.
On the palate, the assortment of fruit gummies is even more generous than on the nose and goes hand in hand with a no less well-stocked fruit basket: apple, pear, apricot and peach. Then creme, creme, creme (did I say creme?): berry, almond, violet, with bread crust at the back. No alcohol content.
The finish is long and fruity, and sees the return of the citric note at the arm of the berry gummies.
Now, we may have a widely confessed weakness for Linkwood, but this really does seem to us to be a high-profile whisky, with a textbook finish: the contribution of the ex-Port cask is noticeable, but not overpowering. Zero vinosity, lots of fruit and a distinct sugary dimension. For those who love the genre there is something to enjoy.