by James Davidson
This year at the Scotch & Malt Whisky Tasting & Festival, I focused on sampling the special additions and the single malts I haven’t run across in the wild. Below are some of my reactions to the Scotches and single malts available.
One of the first single malts on my goal list was the Nikka Yoichi 15 year. Japanese whiskies are known for subtle flavors with slight complexities. Sadly, the peat flavor overpowers the fruit notes to early in the drink to really say it’s balanced. It wasn’t awful, but there are many other 15 year old whiskies that are better.
While we are talking about 15 year old whiskies, let’s mull over the Linkwood 15 year I sampled. The bottle wasn’t impressive to look at but the golden spirit wasn’t to bad. Sweetness gave way to a smokey flavors that were not peaty. As far as finishes goes, this one was long. Smokey notes sat on the back of my tongue well after swallowing. Depending on your inclination, this may be a good thing. Overall, the Linkwood 15 year is a good whisky. Continue reading
