Linkwood 15 YO Gordon & MacPhail

ReviewsScotchLinkwoodGordon MacPhail

Sep 16

Written By David Levine

Linkwood 15 YO Gordon & MacPhail

43% ABV/86 Proof

15 YO, Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Distilled 2004, Bottled 2019

Eye: Honey, thick legs and rims.

Nose: White wine forward, tannic and bracing. Touch of smoke like a Glenfarclas might have alongside Highland characteristics. A little musty, like the white wine was aged for a few years in a cellar.

Palate: Woodsmoke, dark berries, a touch of herbs in the background. After some air the bourbon cask appears with vanilla, toffee, and American oak dryness. Mouthfeel is tannic, coating, and mouth filling.

Finish: Very long, big white wine finish with clove.

Overall: I can see where the 27 YO gets its start. Pleasing, if not amazing. The extra age helps it round out the tannic notes.

Rating: 6.4

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)