Review #648. Linkwood 16yr Gordon MacPhail Cote-Rotie

​Review #648 | /r/Scotch Review #222 – Linkwood 16yr 1998 Gordon & Macphail Private Collection Cote-Rotie

The Schtick: This is a 16 year expression, distilled at Linkwood and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail after being finished in a Cote-Rotie. For those that are not familiar with Cote-Rotie, it is an AOC northern Rhone wine region that produces Syrah and Viognier grapes.

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Distiller: Linkwood

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

ABV: 45% ABV

Age: 16 Years (14yrs ex-bourbon, 2yrs Cote-Rotie cask)

Source: Sample

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Nose: Toffee, clove, very rich. Stewed fruits. Honey and cocoa, figs, strawberry and jammy raspberry. Faint, earthy tobacco.

Taste: Thick and rich with no real heat. Honey and vanilla followed by tobacco and some stewed fruits and pepper. There is a faint earthiness to it. The fruits are really rich, but blend really well with the earthy notes and the honey and vanilla.

Finish: Long, some faint bitterness, but mostly very good. The stewed fruits and the sweetness and pepper are a great blend here.

Overall: I really liked this quite a lot. This was my first Linkwood, and the finish was very complimentary. What struck me most was the phenomenal balance of each element.

Thanks for reading!

Rank: 7

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Decoded:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

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