Linkwood was founded in 1821 by Peter Brown on the southern edge of Elgin and rebuilt several times over the following century. Its enduring reputation rests partly on the spirit and partly on a single manager, Roderick Mackenzie, who ran the distillery in the mid twentieth century and famously insisted that nothing be altered, not even the spiders' webs in the rafters, lest the character of the whisky change. The story is half folklore and half philosophy, but it captures the conservatism that has always surrounded the place.
The distillery has long been prized by blenders for its delicate, floral spirit, and it has been a key fillings malt for Diageo and its predecessors. Single malt bottlings tend to be sparing and to favour age, where Linkwood's quiet character has time to develop without being overwhelmed by oak.
The twenty-five year old shows the house style at full stretch. The nose is fragrant and floral, with rose petal, beeswax and lemon curd above a polished oak base. The palate is medium-bodied and honeyed, the orchard fruit clean and the spice gentle. There is a cereal note that keeps the whole composition from drifting into prettiness.
The finish is long and floral, the wax surfacing late. This is Linkwood as it should be: patient, slow and largely unbothered by drama. A bottle for an evening when one wishes to think rather than to be entertained.
