Linkwood 13 year 2010 bourbon cask

Nose: Vanilla, honey, spring blossoms, fresh bread, tropical fruit, barley, damp earth, and leather. Adding water has minimal effect on the aroma. Palate: Barley sugar, orange oil, a slightly bitter honey (or perhaps thin molasses?), sourdough bread. With water, many bready, ale-like notes appear, along with ginger and clove spices. The mid-palate gains complexity with evident malt extract and a gripping orange flavor. The texture is creamy. Finish: Medium. Cereal and malt lead to a gritty, semi-sweet conclusion. A very enjoyable, slightly older Linkwood, just a year beyond the standard 12-year-old and very similar in profile, but more intense and with higher alcohol content. It's like the 12-year-old's more assertive older sibling. The longer it sat and opened in the glass, the better it became, and a small amount of water enhanced it perfectly. This was a distillery-exclusive dram from a cask of Linkwood that had been matured at Cardhu distillery (and was supplied to Linkwood in an unlabeled Cardhu bottle!). "Good" score: 84/100 (3.75 stars)