Review #74: Linkwood 16yr 1997/2013, C&S Dram Collection, 59.0%, C# 7186, ex-hogshead, 288 bottles

expecting to be pleasantly surprised ...

even though I'm expecting it. In my limited experience, Linkwood surprises on the upside, so I hope the streak continues, even as it becomes more difficult to do so.

This is from the C&S Dram collection, which I think is a German indy that uses other bottlers (in this case the Scottish Liqueur Center (or 'Centre', actually)) to do their bottling. I'm not sure who C or S is.

nose: very herbaceous. starts on dry hay but turns to green herbs and wildflowers -- yarrow, mullein -- and eventually turns sweet -- apples cooked in sweet cream butter.

palate: a little too much burn -- time to stand up a find a couple drops of water. The nose seems to become sharper and grassier with water. The palate becomes smoother, even if still aggressive -- apples and oak. It's a nice, rich, spicy apple, but not much else going on.

finish: long but somewhat drying.


I think there was good spirit here, but it never quite came into balance for me.

score: 81