Wemyss Citrus Burst Single Cask Scotch Review (2013)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

Most of the releases out of Wemyss Malts’ single cask line come from distilleries familiar to most single malt fans, and even some general whiskey fans, places such as Caol Ila. However, some come from lesser known institutions, such as is the case with Citrus Burst, coming as it does from the Speyside distillery Linkwood.

Founded in Elgin in the 1820s, Linkwood was an independent distillery for the rest of the 19th Century, whereupon it was merged into the Linkwood-Glenlivet company. From there, Linkwood followed a familiar pattern of 20th Century consolidation. The distillery was absorbed into Scottish Malt Distillers, which in turn was taken into United Distillers prior to the Second World War. Now the distillery is part of Diageo’s empire. Linkwood was closed twice in the 20th Century, once during the war years due to the shortage of grain, and again between 1985 and 1990.

The overwhelming majority of Linkwood’s output goes into making Johnnie Walker, which helps explain why the storied distillery is so obscure to most whiskey fans. It’s sole regular single malt release is the 12 Year Old Flora and Fauna, and anything else that comes out under the distillery’s own name is either extremely rare or a limited edition.

The Scotch
The Wemyss Citrus Burst Single Cask is a Linkwood dating from 1997, making it a 16 year old, and is bottled at the standard 46% of the Wemyss Single Cask line. This is part of the mammoth Single Cask release from the end of 2013.

The coloring is a very pale yellow, leaning to clear. It’s not quite on the level of bleached straw, however, since the translucence gives it a sparkly quality. The nose lives up to the billing, and to the color as well, putting out a dollop of lemon on a bed of grassy, freshly cut hay, plus a tinge of oak. Think sipping on lemonade in a well-ventilated hay loft, and you might capture the scent.

The flavor has all of that and more, bringing the lemon and oak together with splash of lime, plus a little cake spice and tobacco for good measure. The finish, however, was disappointing. I found it very light, too light in fact, although it lingered for a time and brought with it only a touch of warmth. That detracts from Citrus Burst as a sipping whiskey, but it stands in good stead as an aperitif.

The Price
The Citrus Burst Single Cask is still available at the time of writing, and costs about £70 ($115)