Review #591 - Adelphi Linkwood 12 Year Single Cask
Another Diageo distillery rarely seen in single malt form, unless you go to independent bottlers - this is Linkwood. This Speyside distillery, located in Elgin, is primarily used to produce malt whisky for blending purposes; despite that, it has gained a reputation for high quality single malt, and it has a bit of a following among whisky fans.
The spirit is generally described at light and grassy, or a bit fruity - for this reason, it takes well to a wide variety of cask types. One of the reasons this single malt is loved, though, it the weight in the palate; some distilleries create this effect using devices like worm tub condensers, but Linkwood instead uses a wider heart cut during their spirit runs, pushing deeper into the tails to get more weight.
Adelphi chose this single cask of Linkwood and bottled in at an age of 12 years; the spirit spent its time maturing in a first fill bourbon cask. This is denoted plainly on the label, but also shows through the surprisingly dark natural color - this looks more like an actual bourbon in the bottle.
Adelphi tends to bottle very high quality whiskies, at least in our experience - how will this Linkwood, bottled at 52.6% ABV, fare?
Adelphi Linkwood 12 Year Single Cask
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 119 (2025)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 52.6% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill American oak ex-bourbon hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2010, bottled 2022; cask 304845; 324 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 8 months; bottles at 100% (blind tasting), 90% (blind tasting), 80%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Fruity - strawberries with balsamic, orange fruit, some stone fruits like nectarine and sweet ripe plum. There is a strong oak influence on this - scents like old antique furniture, polished wood, and fresh lumber. Brown sugar adds more sweetness, and we get soft nutty notes and a floral perfume in the background. Time brings even more fruit - passionfruit. Quite complex, a lot going on.
Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel - somewhat warming and spirity, but there's also a great oily texture. Oak is again strong, with tannins, a hint of wood smoke, and cinnamon notes; those drying flavors are balanced by tangy nectarine, orange, and some syrupy sugars. Pancakes with maple syrup, stroopwafel... then soft rose petals in the background.
Finish: Cinnamon and leathery oak, polished oak, tons of baking spice - cardamom, brown sugar, a bit of pepper. That oak influence is still the main profile, but we get more subtle notes blood orange, floral perfume, caramel, and freshly laundered linen; it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: This is probably the most oak-forward single malt of 12 years or younger (excluding some American single malts aged in new charred oak) that we've tried - tons of wood notes, especially old polished oak flavors that we tend to find on whiskies aged 18+ years. There's a strong fruit side to this, too, especially in the nose - lots of fragrant sweet notes. This is a great Linkwood, one of the better examples that we've tried.
Value is okay, about average. Nearly $120 for a 12 year single malt is a bit pricey, but Adelphi's quality does come through, delivering excellent flavor.
Our Average Rating: 7.9 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.40
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
