Linkwood – 2012/2023 10 Year Old Murça Tawny (Murray McDavid) (70cl, 57.2%)

This is a single cask Linkwood from Speyside, bottled by Murray McDavid in its Benchmark series. The whisky was distilled in 2012 and bottled in 2023 after ten years, finished in a first-fill tawny port barrique from Caves de Murça in Portugal's Douro Valley. The cask yielded 362 bottles at its natural strength of 57.2%, in 70cl bottles, non-chill-filtered and without added colour. The nose combines ripe sweet apples with red grapes, oranges and juicy berries, with tobacco, cocoa and nuts in support. The palate is rich and full, with pears, nectarines, dark berries, black cherries, caramel and spicy honey, plus oak and a touch of leather. The long finish carries warm citrus, herbs and oak spice.