Stained Glass Spirits Linkwood 10yo Cask #303781 & RMW Linkwood 8yo Cask #312764

Stained Glass Spirits Linkwood 10yo Cask #303781

Region: Speyside

ABV: 57.1%

Price: £65.00

Distilled in 2013 and matured for 10 years in a first-fill bourbon cask, this whisky was bottled at cask strength by Stained Glass Spirits, the independent bottling label of the Edinburgh-based pub, The Ensign Ewart. A total of 277 bottles were released. Bottles are still available at the time of writing from both The Ensign Ewart & The Belfry in Edinburgh, or online.

Nose

The nose opens with fresh green apple, lemon zest, pear drops, alongside some light fudge and creamy vanilla aromas. There's also a white wine spritziness reminiscent of Albarino wine, along with wafers, a touch of caramel and a little bit of fresh cut grass at the end. It's a very light, refreshing and sweet nose, backed up by a fairly prominent alcohol undertone, but it still manages to maintain a good balance.

Palate

The palate opens with toffee coated apples with a chocolate sauce drizzle, vanilla bon bons, sweet fudge, some butterscotch and a little woodspice on the latter part of the palate. There's a fair kick of alcohol giving away the age, however this mellows the more you drink the dram. Going back, we're finding a little grapefruit peel, lemon yoghurt, a hint of nutmeg and some warm peppery spice on the finish. The mouthfeel is really quite oily and viscous, and the finish lingers on for a good length of time.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is a little more citrusy for us, tangerine peel primarily, alongside some of those more grassy notes we got before. We're still getting those fudge and vanilla aromas as the backbone of the dram, along with those top notes of fresh lemon.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the great mouthfeel, lots of vanilla, fudge and light caramel now coming to the forefront. The alcohol bite has mellowed a fair bit but we've lost some of the fresher fruit flavours. The finish remains mostly the same, maybe a touch of cocoa powder appearing for us now. It takes water well, but it's up to you whether you feel it's necessary to add any.

Conclusion

This is a really solid 10 year old Linkwood, lots of sweet bourbon cask influence whilst still maintaining some of that orchard and grassy spirit character. It's a bit hot in places, but there's enough flavour and aroma coming through for us to forgive that. Good drinking whisky.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

We really can't complain about a 10-year-old cask strength Linkwood priced at £65 from a new independent bottler.

RMW Linkwood 8yo Cask #312764

Region: Speyside

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £45.95

Distilled in 2015 and matured for 8 years in a bourbon hogshead, this whisky was bottled in April 2024. A total of 378 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with mellow stone fruits, peach and apricot primarily, but it's fairly restrained. We're also getting some vanilla fondant, light honey and apple juice. There's a bit of fudge, sherbet and caster sugar, but overall it's a bit of a tight nose. There's also a little grassy note, but it's right in the background.

Palate

The palate opens with a burst of sweet sugary vanilla confectionery, alongside lemon bon bons, apricot, pear drops and mandarins. It's fairly synthetic in the sweetness, it's like a fruit salad of sweeties. There's a warm alcohol backbone, but the mouthfeel is a touch thin for our liking, a slightly higher ABV may have benefitted the whisky. The finish lingers on for a decent length, more apple-y but still maintaining the same super sweet profile.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a little bit of maltiness up front, some butter biscuits, barley sugars and more of a toasted brown sugar sweetness. There's also more citrus in the form of lemon peel coming through and overall the nose feels more open than before.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate follows in the same suit as the reduced nose, richer flavours of demerara sugar, wood spice, honeycomb, wafer cones and toffee sauce. Unfortunately it has quite a watery mouthfeel now, which is a tad disappointing.

Conclusion

This is a super sweet dessert whisky, very quaffable. It's one of those drams that would open up a tasting nicely, or just one to pour for your friends who aren't massive whisky fans (yet). A little simple but not all whisky needs to make you sit and think about it.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

We would have preferred this at cask strength, but even at 46%, it's priced reasonably.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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