Linkwood 12 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Linkwood - Speyside

American Oak Bourbon Barrels

Original Bottling

Core Range 

Single Malt

Launched in 1990

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Only 2% of what the distillery produces becomes Single Malt, the rest being used to make a number of world-famous blends, including the Johnnie Walker Green Label. This distillate is therefore rare, but appreciated by connoisseurs. This 12-year-old is part of the vast Flora & Fauna range, although this is not specified on the bottle. There are dozens of different bottlings in the range. It is the only expression in the distillery's regular range. We'd love to see more.

Let's Taste It : 

Very fresh and fruity on the nose, with citrus pulp and vanilla, but also orchard fruits, pink apples and juicy pears, exotic fruits, grapefruit, melon and kiwi. In the background, a few woody spices, peppery cloves and discreet cereals. Like when you open a cigar box. Oily and sweet on the palate, between almond paste and vanilla cream, tinder, cinnamon, mint leaf and a pinch of cumin. The finish is long and opens out slowly, full of indulgence, meringue, whipped cream, sponge cake. Then it becomes woodier and spicier, chestnut, bark, acorns. Cotton ball.

 

In Short, 

This is a very pleasant whisky, well-made and intense. Full-bodied, full of fruit and pastry, it really has everything you wish. The price is sometimes a little high, and it's also hard to find, which is a shame. It could be more popular if it were better distributed.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Chris Adam - Devil's Com'n My Way

Oban Little Bay

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Oban - Highlands

Ex-Bourbon Barrels

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2014

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

This is the second and final addition to Oban's regular range, a NAS that has been aged in small 200-litre Bourbon casks, which allows the cask to have a greater influence, and the flavours to be more intense.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Nice influence of the barrel on the nose, vanilla yoghurt, walnut cake, fresh fruits, yellow apples, mirabelles, Comice pears, a pinch of salt and a whiff of smoke. Beeswax, citrus zest, creamy notes. On the palate, raisin brioche, fruit cake, pastry cream, blood oranges, crunchy cereals, discreet spices, cloves, grey pepper. The finish is appropriately long, a little dusty, spicy, meringue, floating island with vanilla custard, old wood, rosemary and mistletoe.

 

In Short, 

Like the Dalwhinnie Wnter's Gold, I find it very successful and prefer it to the 14 year old. It's more straightforward, more intense, more characterful, and the profile of the distillery is clearer. On the other hand, the price has become very high, I've heard that sales are exploding and that stocks are running out. I find that astonishing.

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Soundsixk - D.u.s.k.

Baillargegail 2020 3 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Distillerie du Poitou - France

1st Fill Pineau des Charentes Wine Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

Two friends from Poitou, a region in the south of France, joined forces to create M & B Spirits, and the Distillerie du Poitou. Together they created all sorts of spirits, gin, rum and others, and now they're trying their hand at whisky with the first whisky from Poitou, soberly entitled Baillargegail (don't ask me how it's pronounced), in tribute to the region's dialect. It's 3 years and 1 month old to be precise, and 480 bottles of 50cl have been produced, Single Cask, not chill-filtered and without colouring. All this sounds very good to me, but ageing it in wine casks seems rather risky.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Baked apple, paraffin, hand cream, light vanilla. Goose fat, straw. A halo of smoke above it all. A zest of orange. It's quite farmhouse-like. Abandoned barn, with whitewashed walls. After a while, it balances out. Honey cake. It's acidic on the palate, with unripe yellow apples and lemon pulp. Grapefruit. A drop of royal jelly. Spices add a little fullness. Then it dries out. Bitter finish, full of earth, lime comes through, dry asparagus, horseradish, mustard. Yam.

 

In Short, 

At first, I thought the nose was no good. Then I realised that it was the best. The nose balances itself out after a while, and becomes almost acceptable, whereas the palate and finish are really badly done. Just goes to show that it's a real job to create a whisky. What's more, if you're not a specialist, it's best to avoid ageing in wine casks, which easily bring out the product's flaws. I don't want to sound cruel, this kind of initiative is daring, and I feel like supporting these two friends. But the fact is that it takes years, even decades, before you know how to make a good whisky.

Score : 76

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Anche Yumuk - Your Eyes

Oban The Distillers Edition 2023

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Oban - Highlands

Refill Bourbon, Sherry Casks and 1st Fill Montilla Fino Sherry Seasoned American Oak Finish 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2023

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

I think it was the last Distillers Edition I'd ever tasted. This one is finished in Fino Sherry from the Montilla-Moriles area, Fino Sherry is usually rather dry, but the one from the Mintilla area is fruitier. As with all the other Distillers Edition, the vintage disappeared in 2022, it's cold-filtered and coloured.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Beautiful balance on the nose, between noble wood, red fruit, and a touch of smoke. Amarena cherries, a hint of sea salt, quince jam and honey. Whole almonds, light tobacco. A few maritime and chalky notes. On the palate, a lovely sweetness, custard, chutney with bits of walnut, salted butter caramel, very palatable spices, rosemary, honeysuckle, pepper. Quite a long finish, chocolatey and malty, dried fruits, apricots and figs, damp leather and bark full of moss. Chestnuts.

 

In Short, 

This Fino is not so dry, and I find it has a nice fruity and sweet fullness. I'm not a great fan of the 14-year-old, but I really enjoyed this Distillers Edition. In fact, it seems to me that it's one of the 4 outstanding Distillers Edition, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Talisker, and therefore Oban. Unfortunately the price is very high for what it is.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Frank - Car Seller

Glen Elgin 12 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Glen Elgin - Speyside

Bourbon American Oak and Sherry European Oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2003

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Glen Elgin is a distillery that produces mainly for blends, in particular White Horse, and this 12-year-old is the only expression in the Core Range. This one apparently dates from 2003, and was previously subtitled Single Pot Still Malt Whisky, which is an aberration in the whisky world, either it's Single Malt or Single Pot Still, but both at the same time is impossible. Even before that, this 12 yo was included in Diageo's Flora & Fauna range, and was even part of the Hidden Malts range for a short time. And long before that, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, it was subtitled Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, which again is an aberration, since it is a Speyside. As the distillery only began steaming its malt in 1970, the whisky was apparently peaty until the early 1980s. Today, it is still very lightly peated, but also chill-filtered and coloured, unfortunately.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Evanescent lemon, light vanilla, a mineral and chalky touch. Yellow apples and sweet butter, crushed almonds. A hint of salty smoke. Soft caramel, beeswax, cereal grains. Whipped cream. On the palate, the honey and cereals become more intense, candied lemon, fresh fruit salad, orchard fruits in particular, malty notes, very discreet spices, but all this lacks a little fullness. A pleasant finish, with oak bark, roasted almonds, a pinch of cinnamon, ginger and vanilla.

 

In Short, 

I have to say that this is a distillery that I like. And here I find the elements I've liked in other bottlings, the mineral and salty touch, this varied fruitiness and the typical Speyside honey. Unfortunately, it's a little light on the palate, otherwise it would make a good dram. This one's not bad, even interesting.

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Samane - Two Wrongs                                    

Dalwhinnie The Distillers Edition 2023

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Dalwhinnie - Highlands

Refill Amrican, European Oak Casks and Seasoned Oloroso Sherry Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2023

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Sales websites no longer even specify whether the new Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition is from 2022 or 2023. Now that they're no longer vintage, and there's nothing to distinguish them, I admit it's pointless. The finish that Dalwhinnie DE benefits from is Sherry Oloroso, which is reputed to be the best.

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is light, with dried fruit, dates, raisins, apricots and fresh leather. Hints of wood give it some structure. Elastic, buttery rubber. It's a little spicy, with cinnamon, cloves, ginger. Grapefruit. A whiff of smoke. On the palate, it's still watery, more cereal-like and austere. Earth and pepper, tall herbs. Tubers with a touch of vanilla. Fairly good, long finish, liquorice and dark chocolate, roots, bark and forest fragrances. Fresh figs, cola, heather.

 

In Short, 

The profile of the 15-year-old resurfaces on the palate, which I didn't find too appealing. On the nose and finish, however, the sherry finish scores points and makes the whisky more pleasant. That said, it's nothing exceptional either, just enough to liven up your dessert.

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Soft Set - Gone

Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Dalwhinnie - Highlands

American and European Oak Casks 

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2015

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Dalwhinnie also needed its own its NAS. This has been the case since 2015. The concept is that this Winter's Gold was inspired by the cold climate of the northern part of the Highlands from which it comes, at 1164 feet above sea level. The juice is distilled during the coldest months of the year, and is even recommended to be served ice cold. Given that cold is reputed to take the flavour out of whisky, I doubt the relevance of this advice.

 

 

 

Let"s Taste It : 

It's creamier and more indulgent than the 15-year-old. Chantilly, vanilla, acacia honey, floral touches, with fruit and caramel, apricot tart, a zest of orange, candied lemon and condiments. A very fine pinch of salt. The palate is lighter but the vanilla is still predominant, the fruit is fuller, gingerbread, cereals sprinkled with cinnamon and a few discreet spices, cloves, ginger. The finish is correct, with roots and dark chocolate, black radish, dry earth, dates and a hint of forest notes.

 

In Short, 

Honestly, I found it better than the 15-year-old. The flavours are clearer and more tasty. It's much less austere and more expressive. More modern, in other words. Incidentally, it's a little more expensive, and that doesn't shock me. I tasted it at room temperature, though.

Score : 84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           She Drew the Gun - Washed in Blue