100% Proof | Whisky Den

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 20^th May 2015

Ratings:
87.43/100 – Whiskybase (average from 9 member votes)
86/100 – Malt Maniacs (average from 5 member votes)

Sometimes you get lucky at an auction. I thought I was bidding on the 40% version of this old Linkwood 15yo by Gordon & MacPhail (G&M). When the package arrived in the post I discovered it was the 57% version (100 Proof). The auction house forgot to include this in the description, which explains why I got it for so little (£3.25). A full 75cl bottle sold at auction 3 months earlier for £125. A 5cl share of that bottle equates to £8.33. I was a happy man, even without a drink in my hand!

According to Malt Maniacs this version of Linkwood was first produced by G&M in c.1988. At this point my brain always subtracts the age of the whisky, so my dram could have been distilled as early as 1973. Although I’ve been unable to find any written reviews, both the scores on Whiskybase and Malt Maniacs suggest a quality whisky. I could put it back into an auction and double my money or drink it. Hmmm, I think a taster is too tempting!

Bought: Online Whisky Auction, 24th February 2015

Ratings:
88/100 – Whiskybase (average from 5 member votes)

Back in the 2006 edition of the Whisky Bible, the Gordon & MacPhail release of the Old Pulteney 8yo scored 85/100 but it hasn’t been mentioned in recent years (even though you can still purchase it online). That was the 40% version but I have the vintage (or ‘retro’) 57% from the 1980s. If I’d realised how well loved it was on Whiskybase (88/100 is a fantastic score) I would have attempted to get a bigger sample than a miniature! Aaaah, except a 70cl is quoted with a price of £237.60! My miniature was closer to the 60p than the £237.

The only written review on Whiskybase for this bottling summarises with “an intense Old Pulteney from the past” having said of the taste “hot and spicy (pepper). Oily and creamy. Fruity in particular oranges and tangerines. Slightly peaty ” For those of you familiar with Old Pulteney, there are some classic elements showing through in this potent blast from the past.

Although I have quite a few examples of Old Pulteney, this is my first experience of one over 50%. The Whiskybase rating has convinced me to add a ‘cask strength’ Old Pulteney to my wishlist. Is there one out there I wonder? The hunt is on….