Linkwood 14 Year Old 1984 Cooper’s Choice

Linkwood is one of Diageo’s workhorses that produces primarily for the blenders. Important customers are White Horse, Haig, Bell’s and Dimple. Only a small percentage is bottled as single malt. This means you’ll have to turn to independent bottlers. This is an oldie, distilled in 1984 and by now over two decades in the bottle. Cooper’s Choice cut it to 43%.

I’ve only just poured it and already a lovely sweet scent approaches. Gummi bears, banana split, vanilla, apple sauce, peach and orange peel. Pleasant and accessible.

It’s nicely oily, almost creamy, on the palate and offers some pepper at first. Then lots of wood notes with other, darker spices like nutmeg and cloves, followed by white fruit and sweet malt. A tad alcoholic, despite the modest ABV and a lot less candy-like than the nose promised.

The finish is surprisingly long, on candied oranges and some prickling spices.

Very good nose, but it cannot completely deliver on the palate. The finish, however, is very good. All in all a typical card players’ whisky.

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