Linkwood 1988, 33 year old, The Whisky Jury, the Owl label

After tasting 879 whiskies, this is apparently my first Linkwood. This Speyside distillery has been owned by Diageo since 1997, and they don't release many distillery-owned expressions, but I've seen many independent bottlings at auctions. Recently, I found a very interesting bottler called "the whisky Jury" and tried some of their releases. This attractive bottle, featuring a drawing of an owl among flowers holding a card with human hands, is a 33-year-old Linkwood, bottled at 47.58% ABV, with only 176 bottles produced. (The.58% ABV is a first for me; I've never seen a second decimal point before). On the nose, it's incredibly fruity. Fresh pears, some upfront spiciness, and honey. It's overwhelmingly powerful on the nose for a 33-year-old whisky at 47.58% ABV. Mashed apples. Very fresh and fruity, it shouts Speyside. After the first sip, the aroma presented red apples and honey. After a few sips, some wonderful hay and mint aromas appeared. I'm not exactly sure about the last aroma note, but it reminds me of something I've experienced in a pharmacy – some kind of herbal medicine; I figured it out! It's like a mix of honey, lemon, and eucalyptus throat lozenges, called "activox." On the palate, it begins with pineapple core and pear skin. Very fruity, very fresh. A second sip was like a spoonful of honey, then it released a pear note that finished with spices. There's a thick red apple syrup. Mint liqueur, and again, that activox pill. The aftertaste is very appealing. Nice hay, hints of smoke. Dry and oaky but elegant. Red apples. I love it; it's very sophisticated and rewarding, but a little short. Overall, even though I'm not typically a fan of overly fruity, Speyside whiskies, this one was remarkably good. This is as good as it gets for me when talking about a whisky that can be described as a fruit salad. I usually prefer sherry bombs or peated monsters over these types of whiskies. That being said, I believe this one scored 23 points in every category, resulting in a score of 92 out of 100.