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Linkwood 1996 ‘Honeysuckle Bower’ (Wemyss Malts)

Christopher Hayn — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 16:22:45 +0000

Although Linkwood is one of the bigger Scottish distilleries out there (5.6 million liters per year), it’s maybe not that big of a household name among ‘the average’ single malt aficionado. Which has probably something to do with the fact that most of the production is used for a variety of Diageo’s blends, especially for Johnnie Walker and White Horse. And sure enough, the only official bottling was a 12 years old as part of the now discontinued Flora & Fauna series.

Fortunately, there are quiet some independent bottlings available like the one I am going to review today: ‘Honeysuckle Bower‘, bottled by Wemyss Malts .

Facts

Linkwood 1995 ‘Honeysuckle Bower’ (Wemyss Malts)

Name:	Linkwood 1996 ‘Honeysuckle Bower’
Bottler:	Wemyss Malts
Vintage:	1995
Bottled:	2014
Age:	19 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery:	Linkwood
Cask Type:	Hogshead
Number of bottles:	332
Strength:	46.0% Vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

Light, sweetish and indeed there are some flower petals to be found, but I would not go so far to say that I am able to detect the smell of roses here. Also a very distinctive fizziness of orange effervescent powder. Honeydew melon and hints brown sugared mint leaves.

Taste

A lot more fruity with thick apple juice and bitter oranges. Followed by vanilla and hints of pepper and licorice.

Finish

Long and sweet. Sandalwood mixed with some flowers and pepper.

Overall

Accessible and mostly likable, especially when you are more into floral single malts.

Score: 82 / 100

Invergordon 1988 ‘Lemon Cheesecake’ (Wemyss Malts)

Christopher Hayn — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:00:15 +0000

Grain whisky seems to be the unloved stepbrother of malt whisky, often rejected due to its role as a cheap-to-make filler in blends. This seems a bit unfair to me. A well-made single grain is a real enrichment to every whisky cabinet, at least in my opinion.

And that’s why I want to review two single grains from Invergordon today, both bottled by Wemyss Malt. For the start I picked the Invergordon 1988 ‘Lemon Cheesecake’, the first ever single grain release from Wemyss. But first I want to thank my buddy Thorsten for providing me with a sample to review.

Facts

Invergordon 1988 ‘Lemon Cheesecake’ (Wemyss Malts)

Name:	Invergordon 1988 ‘Lemon Cheesecake’
Bottler:	Wemyss Malts
Vintage:	1988
Bottled:	2014
Age:	26 Years Old
Category:	Single Grain Whisky
Distillery:	Invergordon
Cask Type:	Barrel
Number of bottles:	220
Strength:	46.0% Vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

A light and fluffy cheesecake with lemon topping. Mouthwatering sweet. A bit of sawdust. Dark fruits with vanilla. Hints of almonds.

Taste

Smooth, creamy and almost thick. Tropical fruits with a lot of caramel sauce. Lemon juice with sugar cane. Gets spicier with cinnamon and traces of pepper.

Finish

Long and sweet with a light oak dryness. Again tropical fruits, lemon and caramel.

Overall

This is a fine example of a well aged grain whisky from Invergordon – light and summer-like with a refreshing lemony touch. A well done debut single grain from Wemyss.

Score: 85 / 100

Benrinnes 2001 ‘Rhubarb Royale’ (Wemyss Malt)

Christopher Hayn — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 06:00:33 +0000

The independent bottler Wemyss Malt released six new single casks bottlings at the end of last month. One of them is ‘Rhubarb Royale’, a 13 Year Old single malt from Benrinnes. The other five are ‘The Rockpool’ (Bowmore 1995), ‘Foraged Fruit Fool’ (Blair Athol 1991), ‘Toffee Tuile’ (Aberfeldy 1999), ‘Kumquat Cluster’ (Glenrothes 1993) and ‘Stem Ginger Preserve’ (Mortlach 1995).

Today is a double premiere for me: This not only my first bottling from Wemyss Malt but also my very fist single malt from Benrinnes.

Facts

Benrinnes 2001 ‘Rhubarb Royale’ (Wemyss Malt)

Name:	Benrinnes 2001 ‘Rhubarb Royale’
Bottler:	Wemyss Malt
Vintage:	2001
Bottled:	2014
Age:	13 Years Old
Category:	Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery:	Benrinnes
Cask Type:	Hogshead
Number of bottles:	425
Strength:	46.0% Vol.
Colored:	No
Chill Filtered:	No

Nose

Delivers what it promises: stewed rhubarb. Baked apple and pear compote with vanilla ice.

Taste

Sweet and light. There is some youthfulness to it, but it’s bearable. Taffy and nougat. Hot chocolate with rum. Some honey spiced hazelnuts. Hints of those stewed fruits from the nose.

Finish

Medium. Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and vanilla beans. Rounded off by bitter nougat.

Overall

Very pleasant with a certain lightness and subtle elegance.

Score: 87 / 100