Samaroli Linkwood 1983 is an interesting dram from an interesting distillery. The legal Linkwood distillery has been around almost as long as the Glenlivet distillery which claims to be the oldest legal distillery in Scotland. The first Linkwood was founded around 1821, but distillation didn’t really start until around 1825 (Glenlivet started production in 1824), and it produced without stopping till 1872 when it was torn down to make room for a bigger better Linkwood. The new Linkwood came to life 2 years later in 1874 and stayed open until it was mothballed in 1985. Which was really no big deal because Linkwood B, built in 1971 right next to it, was still running. Today Linkwood B is the primary with A handling “auxiliary” distillation functions that are sometimes needed for B.
If you’re not familiar with Linkwood, that’s probably because until recently (2008) Linkwood was primarily used in blends like Johnnie Walker and White Horse with only a 12 yr old release of it’s single malt. Though over the past few years more and more NDPs have been sourcing and bottling Linkwood single malts and so bottles from folks like Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory and Samaroli have been popping up with greater frequency and we’ve been able to enjoy things like this Samaroli Linkwood 1983 more often.
Samaroli Linkwood 1983 Info
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: Linkwood
Bottler: Samaroli
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: presumed ex-Bourbon
Age: 30 years
ABV: 40%
Price: $330
Samaroli Linkwood 1983 Review
EYE
Light honey
NOSE
The nose on this is quite pleasant with warm notes of orchard fruit, butterscotch and honey. Some lighter notes of apricot, malt and vanilla dance in the background, but don’t end up making a huge impact on the overall aroma.
TASTE
Like the nose the plate is warm and inviting with notes of honey, graham, cinnamon and malt. Light touches of vanilla, spice and citrus hang come through with a slight astringent kick in the end.
FINISH
Long finish of orchard fruit, malt, wood, baking spices and more of that astringency from the palate. It really kicks up on the finish.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced with a medium body and a smooth soft feel.
OVERALL
Samaroli Linkwood 1983 is a pretty good whisky with a nice mix of sweet and spicy notes across the entire dram. It has a nice warm character to it, but like with all Samaroli bottlings it’s a bit pricy. Though considering the current single malt market $300 for a 30 year old single malt isn’t an atrocious deal. I’m not saying it’s cheap, not by a long shot, but people charge whole lot more for less these days.
SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, not consumed at home)
