Lloyd's Whisky Syndicate N°12 - Linkwood 15yo

THE DISTILLERY

The Linkwood distillery was founded on the outskirts of Elgin (Speyside) by Peter Brown in 1821 but only began operations in 1824 after the 1823 Excise Act was on the stature book. The distillery gets its name from the Burn of Linkwood from which it gets its cooling water. Upon Peter Brown’s death in 1868, ownership of the distillery was passed on to his son William Brown who proceeded to demolish the original structure and replacing it with a larger one designed by architect Methven.

Ownership of the distillery stayed with the Brown family until William’s death in 1897 and the founding of the Linkwood-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd. In 1902 Robert Innes Cameron joined the board of directors of the distillery before becoming Managing Director until his death in 1932, after which Linkwood was acquired by the Distillers Company Limited (i.e. the ancestor of Diageo).

The distillery experienced 2 major refurbishments over the course of the last century to add production capacity which now reaches approximately 5 million litres per annum.

Linkwood’s whisky has historically popular among blenders and today constitutes a key ingredient of Diageo’s best-selling brands Johnnie Walker and White Horse. It was only in 2012  Its distillation process involves usage of clear wort (i.e. the liquid extracted from the mashing process of the malted barley) with a long fermentation process to add complexity to the final product. Last but not least, Linkwood has the peculiarity of having spirit stills that are larger than wash stills, to enable greater exposure to the still’s copper surface. The result is a floreal, fresh spirit with a thick texture that is well-suited for long maturation processes.

THE WHISKY

This particular expression of Linkwood has been aged for 15years in an oloroso sherry cask before being bottled at cask strength.

On the nose it unleashes notes of leather, cocoa, walnut honey and star anise.

On the palate the whisky is dry, peppery and with notes of cured tobacco and bitter chocolate. By adding a little water the pepper opens up and becomes nutmeg.

The finale is of medium persistence with light notes of smoke and ash (not peat).

We decided to launch this syndicate because this whisky, though fully aged in an ex-sherry cask, is drier and spicier on the palate than one would expect. We trust it will positively surprise you the way it did with us.