James Eadie 10 & Auld Goonsy 13 | 46% & 56.3% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Discovering Diageo’s Hidden Wonder through Indie Bottlers.*

Thank goodness for indies

As a whisky enthusiast, there was a time I found independent bottlers very intimidating. Not only did I feel I had to climb a mountain of knowledge around the many official distillery releases, but also consider all of these expressions being released by so many independent bottlers too.

Jumping onto Google, a quick search brings back a list of around 75 independent bottlers that are operating at the time of writing. A crazy amount to consider especially when, in Scotland alone, there are already around 148 distilleries running today*.

A result of this, for me, is a FOMO list that's been growing for years. A list that my wallet has viewed with utter trepidation. I purposely avoided indie bottlers when getting into whisky tasting and devotion, due to a lack of knowledge on the distilleries themselves and a lack of inspiration with which to pick any particular indie bottle to purchase alongside an official releases.

My mind raced with questions; "Where to begin?" "Are there better bottlers compared to others?" "Which indie bottler has the 'best' bottle available for me?" Such naivety at that stage, where perhaps I should’ve just taken a step back and focused on the whiskies I already owned.

Online reviews had bottles from Gordon & Macphail, Douglas Laing, Signatory Vintage and Carn Mòr to name but a few. So, I took influence from whisky accounts on Instagram on where to begin. Being easily swayed by aesthetics, I sometimes made whisky purchases based on bottle shape and design. One of my absolute favourite whisky bottles has always been Woodford Reserve, and it was therefore the flat-fronted shape of Cadenhead’s Original Collection bottles that guided me in that direction.

These days, I tend to stick with the distilleries and expressions that I really enjoy; Ardmore, Loch Lomond, Tomatin are always first on the search list, with Cadenhead’s & Signatory Vintage providing much of the value there that I'm seeking these days. The two bottlers that I'm touching on today are ones that I've only happened across recently. Until now, I’ve not really purchased or delved into any of their seasonal outturns.

Surprising, as indie bottles have been the vast majority of purchases for me in 2023, sticking to the distilleries I know and love as well as occasionally branching into some others I've not heard of. With the likes of Balmenach and Glen Ord, I trusted Cadenhead’s who had these releases at decent prices in the £50-£60 ballpark and I thought I'd take a punt. They've been good whiskies, and I'm glad I took that risk to try something new.

A word of caution though on those indies you may not recognise, especially on auction sites. I had a real experience when I purchased a Bruichladdich and Strathdearn, which you can read about on Dramface here. It doesn’t always end well.

From the look of the branding alone, I thought Auld Goonsy was a real one time release; dedicating a particular distillery release (under an indie label) to a local legend by the name of Auld Goonsy. And since, I’ve really struggled to find any information about Auld Goonsy’s Malt online, even from the parent company Global Whisky. I reached out to them for some detail around who Goonsy is, and his story plus the reason this was used as the brand name for their indie bottling. All I can see is that ‘Goonsy’ worked in a cooperage for an age, and apparently has a vast amount of experience in the whisky industry. I’ve still, genuinely no idea if the gentleman exists in real life.

James Eadie, on the other hand, came onto my radar with their magnificent book series, 'The Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland' and 'The Distillation of Whisky', priced £150 and £75. I don't think I've ever spent that much on a book, and I'm always hesitant to spend anywhere near that amount on a bottle of whisky. A pair of books I'd love to own, but they might be the item that my wife beats me with if she found out how they cost me.

James Eadie seems to be a real indie favourite amongst the whisky enthusiasts, with their outturn offerings full of fantastic expressions delivering on flavour, and more importantly, value. Broddy covered James Eadie extensively on Dramface with his quintuplet review of releases here, check it out.

A shout out to Neil (Instagram’s @the_occasional_drammer), for bringing me into Linkwood to begin with. A blind pour in SMWS Glasgow was my first taste of Linkwood and it was delicious. With another ordered that evening in the Bon Accord, It had moved straight to the top of the Buy List and I've really enjoyed my time with the liquid since.

*Facts & Figures from SWA

Review 1/2

Linkwood 10yo, James Eadie 2023 release, 2012-2023, Re-charred hogshead, 46% ABV
£45 still some availability

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Balanced, sweet & malty. More please*

Nose

Fresh & crisp. Icing sugar and orchard fruits. Cubed pineapple and sweet melon. Tangy. The nose would indicate it's stronger than 46% but it's not. Dried wood. A hint of mixed spice with flaked almonds and dried peaches. Mango & apricot yogurt. Lemon peel and elderflower.

Palate

Delicately sweet. Balanced and soft. A sweet malt comes forward with layers of fruity elements. Tinned peaches, a kick of clove and ginger on the tip of the tongue. Lovely mouthfeel and mouth coating too. Prickly on the palate, but ever so slightly. A lemon blast announces itself toward the back end, where sliced apples and pear drops linger at the very end.

Review 2/2

Linkwood 13yo, Auld Goonsy’s Malt 2022 release, 2009-2022, Single american oak cask, 56.3% ABV
£75 still some limited availability (£35 paid)

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Refreshingly fruity with a tasty sweetness*

Nose

Floral. Fruity. Fresh melon and tinned fruit salad in sugar syrup. Cold apple crumble and tinned custard. Some pencil shavings. Honey biscuits and vanilla extract. Flaked choux pastry; reminds me of a maple pecan plait. Sliced conference pear and melted white chocolate. Strawberry bubblegum, gummy bear sweets and a hint of some foam banana sweets too.

Palate

So tasty and approachable. Layer upon layer of sweetness. The fresh fruit from the nose comes through, especially that honeydew melon. Brown sugar, some cinnamon sugar too and white grapes. Good dose of malty notes here also. It's even a touch doughy. It's ever so prickly on the tongue, you could argue a slight effervescence. It's crisp and transforms into a fresh great mouthfeel and finish. Not overly heavy or oily and the sweetness develops into a strawberry syrup toward the end.

Score: 7/10

The Dregs

Linkwood is now one of my favourite distilleries since that first sip back in Glasgow. I considered the romanticism of that weekend and how I've rose tinted glasses towards the drams I tasted during the Glasgow Whisky Festival weekend, due to the company and wonderful atmosphere. But Linkwood has really captured my attention recently, and I'm all for it.

With the Auld Goonsy coming from a sweet little auction win, and the James Eadie picked up directly from Master of Malt I have two bottles I’m delighted to have in the collection.

While we have two differing ABVs on these expressions, there's a real foundational flavour present from this distillery and you can see why it is prized in blends. It's abhorrent that the only real official release is in the Flora & Fauna range. Nothing else.

If Diageo popped out a lovely core range of this, I think it’d be ever so popular. But don't hold your breath on that happening.

We can only hope that Linkwood continues to be part of the indie realm, no matter the age or finish I'll continue on the hunt to buy more.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF

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