Linkwood: The Right Call

HK Golfer whisky editor John Bruce writes on the qualities of this fine Speyside malt

The main American character played by Peter Riegert is in the bar and tries a malt whisky. He is given what the landlord describes as a 42-year- old McCaskill but, as the landlord reaches for the bottle, clearly visible on the shelf beside it is bottle of that fine Speyside malt, Linkwood. This was not exactly a wrong call but it was definitely an opportunity missed.

Located near Elgin in Morayshire, the picturesque Linkwood distillery was established in 1821 by Peter Brown and although no longer a family concern, the distillery has a magnificent reputation for “unremitting vigilance” in the production process. The story is often told of Roderick Mackenzie, the distillery manager in the 1930s who forbade the removal of even spider webs in case the quality of the whisky was adversely affected. This dedication has made Linkwood one of the finest of single malts. There is, however, a catch as less than two percent of the whisky is marketed as single malt with the remainder being used by the distillery owners, United Distillers, in the production of well known brands such as Bells and White Horse.

The distillery markets a 12-year-old in its Flora & Fauna series that is both fruity and smoky with an almost sweet finish and which is quite delightful in itself. There is also a 12-year-old matured in sherry casks, in which the sherry flavours are quite dominant, that is similarly enjoyable. However, as with many single malts that are available in relatively small quantities, it is the productions of the independent bottlers that do true justice to this whisky. This is, in itself, somewhat ironic as the distillery itself was historically a strong protectionist. Elgin Golf Course was built on land owned by the distillery and for many years the only malt whisky allowed to be sold in the bar was Linkwood.

Pages

Click here to see the published article.