The Flora and Fauna series release from Linkwood, featuring a swan on the label in honour of the swans who live by adjacent reservoir. This is the only official bottling from the distillery, as almost all of production is destined for the blending houses, who highly value its character.
Quite green, thick. Herbal, nutty, oily. Almond.
Medium, oily. Honey, pine oil. Malt, almond.
Quite long, dry, touch of anise.
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Nose — Herbal. Pine nuts. Lukewarm black tea with lemon. Palate — Oily and waxy. Quite sweet and spicy. Herbal. Apple and rosemary. Cloves. Finish — Long lasting, dry and malty. Fried muesli.
Nothing blatant or clumsy about this. Just excellent spirit from good casks. A perfect summer malt .
This bottling is one I return to regularly as a summer malt. Wonderfully balanced between casks and distillate. Takes water well.
Linkwood has a stellar reputation but is largely unknown in the whisky world with most of it destined for JW blends, most notably the excellent JW Green Label. This is the only official Diageo bottling and as apparently been discontinued. I'm frankly mystified why it doesn't have a regular bottling. Yes the Speyside malt category is overcrowded but there is enough honest complexity here to set it aside from its rivals. Any caramel colourant is kept to a minimum (I don't think there even is any but who really knows), a decent ABV of 43% and wonderful fresh notes of cut grass, hay, slight citrus, green apple and oil. Yes its an oily one and cloys the mouth in very pleasant way. You see a lot of Linkwood in the Independent Bottling market and I would definitely seek a bottle out from this avenue but I do think a more pronounced official bottling is long overdue. Come on Diageo, make it happen :) Cheers
Very pale in the glass, apple juice in tinge, the nose is fresh. Banana and mango mixes with a deep nuttiness. A little herbal too, almost grassy. Has a sour, sherbetty note as well. Certainly has legs, clings to the glass, very viscous. In the mouth it's fruity, a little bitter and sour - in fact extremely sour. Feels a little salty too. Sour apple sweets, tart cooking apple - no sweetness whatsoever. The finish stays sour, makes you screw your nose up. The nutty note returns with herbal tea. I can see why they say this is a Marmite malt and divides opinion. Some people love it purely for the sourness and freshness, but this one is not for me at all.
