Linkwood is a favourite distillery of The Oak Barrel. Founded in 1821 in the town of Elgin in the region of Speyside, the distillery is currently one of Diageo’s workhorse sites – that is it produces whisky mainly for their blends. Long fermentation and gentle distillation gives the whisky from here an aromatic and grassy aroma, but a textural and oily palate. A whisky that can show lots of floral notes while young, but one that develops great complexity with age. As such, this is used in blends not as ‘bulk filler’ at the heart, but top-dressing icing to give the overall blend complexity and elegance. Rarely seen as a single malt officially, it is often excellent in the hands of independent bottlers.
