Review #152 - Linkumpinch Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon
From the Dueling Grounds distillery in Franklin, Kentucky, we have this single barrel cask strength bourbon release. The big bother of the bottled-in-bond bourbon from Dueling Grounds that we looked at in our 79th review, this is bottled at a hefty 60.5% ABV, or 121 proof, after 4 years of oak maturation.
Linkumpinch Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 70 (2023)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: 60.5% ABV
Details: Barrel #71
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 90%, 80%, and 60% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Dense, rich, dark - chocolate and molasses show up first, but we soon find some subtle darker fruit, like overripe strawberry or cherry. Spicy barrel char and some leather are mixed with sharper spices like anise and some cinnamon. Hints of wood smoke and dry vanilla, then bits of salted caramel as well... quite heavy on the oak despite 4 years of aging.
Palate: Rich and dense again, with a thick mouthfeel, and lots of syrupy oak. Sweeter notes of molasses and brown sugar, before oak and spice overwhelms: black pepper and white pepper, nutmeg, clove, and wood char are all here. There's a whiff of wood smoke like the remains of a day-old campfire: ashy, and then some spicy tobacco comes in. Again, the oak overwhelms a bit, especially considering the age.
Finish: Medium-long, with hints of dark fruits, but a lot of baking spice as the main flavor profile. Brown sugar, anise, vanilla, and clove are all plentiful, with accents of cardamom and hot pepper. Quite warm now, with heat lingering in the back of the throat for some time.
Final Note: Solid strength and sweetness before the spices, but it's walking the line of over-oaking, even at four years old. Any chance this was possibly aged in some smaller barrels? We're not sure, but the oaky spice notes can be a little overwhelming. Still, this has some solid darker flavors - it's better than your average bourbon for sure, at least in our minds. Quite limited production means it can be hard to come by unless you're near the distillery, but at the $70 we've seen it sold for, not a bad pickup.
Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.15
Check out our other Dueling Grounds reviews:
