With only a limited number of bottlings being sold by owner Diageo, Linkwood Single Malt Whiskey is mainly released by independent bottlers, such as the Linkwood 15 years old Gordon & MacPhail. Diageo has released the Linkwood 37 years old Limited Release 2016, one of the most exclusive bottlings that is much loved by collectors. Linkwood Single Malt Whiskey is mainly known for its notes of fresh fruit and candy, sherry and a subtle hint of flowers.
The Linkwood Distillery is located in Elgin in Speyside and was founded in 1821. Real distilling at Linkwood did not take place until 1825, shortly after the introduction of the Excise Act. Linkwood's founder was a real estate agent named Peter Brown, a man who saw market potential in selling his own barley to his own distillery and then reselling the distillery's organic waste to the livestock market. Peter Brown died in 1868, leaving his distillery to his son William Brown, who continued his father's legacy for more than three decades.
Just a few years after his father's death, William Brown had the Linkwood distillery demolished and completely rebuilt. Shortly afterwards, he developed a good reputation with the distillery, and production capacity increased to an impressive 227,000 liters per year. After William Brown died in the late 19th century, the distillery was bought by the Linkwood-Glenlivet Distillers Company. Linkwood continued to expand, production capacity doubled and the malt became more popular in more and more locations.
But despite Linkwood's enormous success, the distillery was closed during World War II, only to be reopened in 1945. The distillery was led by Roderik Mackenzie, a man who was so keen to safeguard the quality of Linkwood Single Malt Whiskey that he forbid his staff to change a single thing within the distillery. Even the spider cob webs were not allowed to be removed, with the aim of continuing Linkwood's success to the finest detail.
