Linkwood – 25 Year Old Gordon & MacPhail Distillery Labels (70cl, 46%)

A 25-year-old Speyside single malt from Linkwood, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail at 46% in a 70cl bottle for its Distillery Labels series. The series marks distilleries with which the independent bottler has had a particularly close relationship over the decades, and Linkwood is one of them. This bottling has a sherry-influenced character. It was released at 46%, a strength the bottler raised for these releases to let the flavours show more clearly. The nose offers rich sherry with subtle aniseed and cherries. The palate moves from sweet, smooth fruitcake to stewed fruit and toasted hazelnuts, and the finish is long, with lingering charred oak.