The first 2 bottlings on the menu are both from the Speyside distillery
Linkwood. I like to say that the Linkwood distillery offers a more 'grown-up' interpretation of Speyside whisky. Their house style is, from my perspective, a tart, spicy and nutty kind of whisky.
The two bottlings I'm going to take a closer look at in this post are both from 2013, 8 years old and aged in brand new virgin oak casks. One is bottled at 48% and the other is bottled at 57.1%. It was definitely my impression that they both possess the same basic flavor. However, they move in slightly different directions after that. The color of both of them is nice and grainy yellow.
Linkwood 2013 - 8YO - Cask303767 - 48%
Nose: Thenose is soft and welcoming and offers notes of orange peel, hazelnuts, white pepper and tobacco. It is a very successful and classic fragrance of the Linkwood distillery's house style.
Palate: Fresh lemon juice tingles on the tongue in the company of gentle tannins from the fresh oak, white pepper, mustard seeds and vanilla.
Finish: The aftertaste is medium long, simple and delicious. A note of coconut emerges and the vanilla lingers.
Linkwood 2013 - 8YO - Cask303761 - 57,1%Nose
: The great classic style from Linkwood is at play again with notes of orange peel, hazelnuts, white pepper and tobacco. In addition to this, I found a nice marzipan and vanilla aroma in this bottling.
Palate: The flavor stays in the same vein as its predecessor, it's just more powerful and full-bodied, with its notes of fresh lemon, gentle tannins, pepper, mustard seeds and vanilla. I also found a strong green apple flavor in this bottling.
Finish: The finish is where the 2 bottlings part ways the most. This bottling holds the aftertaste even longer. It is also dry and gives notes of cinnamon, vanilla sugar and yeast.
Conclusion: These are 2 really solid bottlings from Linkwood, both of which really manage to take full advantage of their relatively young age. The cask strength version stood out for me in particular with its (extra) powerful, rich and long flavor experience.
Westport2004 - 15YO - 57.8% - Highland Blended Malt
Before I get into the depths of this whisky, it needs a little explanation that it says 'Blended Malt' on the bottle. Because this whisky is not a traditional blend, it is actually a 'teaspooned malt'.
A teaspooned malt is a whisky that has its primary origin from a single distillery, but where some form of contamination has occurred in the form of a very small proportion of whisky from another distillery ending up in the casks. It doesn't take more than a single teaspoon of a whisky from another distillery in the casks before they can no longer be sold as single malt whisky. In some cases, teaspooning is also done deliberately for competitive and economic reasons.
But where does this ''Westport'' whisky come from? Westport is actually an alias under which none other than Glenmorangie sells casks to independent bottlers. They have often teaspooned their distillate with whisky from Speyside distillery Glen Moray. This is most likely the case in this bottling as well. Glenmorangie The character is absolutely undeniable in thisWestportbottling. It is indicated on the bottle that it has been in sherry casks, but I also suspect that it has spent a significant part of the 15 years in ex-bourbon casks. The color is beautiful and amber gold.
Nose: A beautiful and powerfulnose
of
blood orange, grapes, cocoa powder, cinnamon, brown sugar and malt.
Palate: An explosion of fresh orange, grapefruit, honeydew melon and a good hit of freshly ground black pepper. Classic delicious Glenmorangie character!
Finish: You are left with a semi-dry aftertaste, with notes of malt and vanilla bean lingering on the palate long after consumption.
Conclusion: This bottling Westport (or dare I say Glenmorangie) is a fantastic whisky that I would personally choose over a original bottling from Glenmorangie in the same price range. This is simply a wonderful example of why independent bottlings are so exciting!
The next bottling on the menu is a Beathan 2013 7YO 48%. The last 8 months of barrel aging took place in an Olorosso sherry cask. The Olorosso finish has not made a big impact on the color, as the whisky still appears very light.
Beathan is, like Westport, a name used by independent bottlers.
In
this case, it is a whisky from the Highland distillery Glenturret.
Beathan 2013 - 7YO - 48% - Olorosso finish
Nose: Anose of pears, lemon, peat, tobacco and a hint of sweet over-fermented plums. This is where the Olorosso finish shines through, with the sweet scent of plums.
Palate: The taste is young, but quite delicious and complex with notes of salted licorice, barley malt, campfire smoke and lemon glaze (similar to what you'd find on top of a lemon tart).
Finish: The aftertaste is short, but lovely. The peat lingers briefly, in the company of mint, icing sugar and toasted oak.
Conclusion: Glenturret is relatively complex and offers some interesting and unique notes. However, it is also a bit young on the palate and requires some indulgence from the whisky drinker in this regard. All in all, I consider this whisky to be a slightly spiky but good whisky with plenty of integrity.
Wilson & Morgan continue to be great whisky buyers with their latest range. The base level is incredibly high, the prices are reasonable and there's something delicious to be found for every taste. I look forward to dealing with them again.
