9 year old Linkwood drawn from a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. Young & Spritely profile.
Nose: Soft and buttery apricot flans alongside fizzy citrus sherbet and crystalline ginger. There’s certainly a floral undertone here – part fairground candyfloss, part rosewater or Turkish delight. It’s all very sweetshop with foam banana chews and Children’s Birthday party jelly. Reduction adds further to this sense of confectionary with jelly babies and sticky lemon curd.
Taste: Viscous and syrupy. Less sweet, but more tropical than the nose – mangos and banana peels with a pang of citrus, plenty of ginger and chilli pepper spicing. There’s a slight umami flavour in the background – water crackers and yeasty bread. Reduced, lemons are expressed more boldly with a sharper and tarter palate and some residue background earthiness.
Finish: Medium, with a touch of alcoholic prickle and freshly baked gingerbread men.
Rather like a trip to the witches house in Hansel and Gretel, this Linkwood is a barrage of sweet treats. But, beware of black magic – there’s a sting in the tail here with plenty of ABV punch and licks of fiery chilli pepper. A fruit-driven winter warmer.