Linkwood 1995 (Anam Na H-Alba) Review

“Strawberry Fields Forever”

Country: Scotland

Brand: Linkwood 1995 (Anam Na H-Alba)

Region: Speyside

Type: Single Malt

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 51.1%
Sample provided by Tom from Germany. Many Thanks!

Colour: Light White Wine (Natural Colour)

Nose: Light, Sweet, Malty, Fruity and Floral. I find Sweet Barley, Grass, Straw, Yeast, Heather Honey, Vanilla, Fresh Herbs, Green Apple, Strawberry Flavoured Yogurt, light Citrus, Caramel, Buttered Toast, light Spices, Bourbon, Marzipan, light Oak and Almonds. Quite Clean and Fresh for a 17 Year old Malt. The Wood and Alcohol are noticeable but nicely integrated. I would have liked to find a bit more complexity though.

Taste: A combination of Sweet, slightly Bitter and Sour Flavours. I find Sweet Barley, Grass, Caramel, Vanilla, Almonds, Orange, Green Apple, Strawberry, Floral Perfume, Butter, Aniseed, Pepper, light Licorice, light Ginger, Cardamom and Oak.

Finish: Quite Long. Bitter-Sweet and Sour at first. Dry towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Grass, Floral Perfume, Lemon, Green Apple, Grapefruit Juice, Orange Juice, Strawberry Ice Cream, Aniseed, light Licorice, Ginger, Pepper and Oak.  

I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose the Floral notes develop. Palate and Finish do not show significant changes but you can certainly add a little Water to this Linkwood.

Rating: 85

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Picture Credit: Whiskyraritaeten and More DE

General Remarks: The Linkwood Distillery was built in Elgin in 1821. A second facility was constructed in Linkwood in 1971. The old distillery went out of production in 1985. It reopened in 1990 but produces only during a couple of months per year. Today it is part of the Diageo Group. Most of the production is destined for Blends like Bell's, Haig and White Horse. The Linkwood Single Cask 17 Years I'm tasting today was distilled on June 5, 1995. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 7126 and was bottled at Cask Strength for Independent bottler Anam Na H-Alba from Germany. No Chill Filtration took place. Average price: Around 80 US Dollars. It won't be easy to find though!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: It's not everyday that I come across a 17 Year old Linkwood Malt. So I was really looking forward to tasting this Anam Na H-Alba expression. And I must say that the Linkwood did not disappoint. The Nose is Pleasant albeit it a bit Modest. A few drops of Water help to develop it a little more. On the Palate and in the Finish two Flavours require special attention namely Strawberry and Aniseed. Not an obvious combination but somehow it works. When I add it all together I conclude that this 1995 Linkwood is a good but not spectacular Malt. The price/quality ratio is about right. It's not a whisky I would care to drink on a regular basis but it's interesting enough to sip from time to time. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   March 21, 2016