Linkwood Scotch Whisky
Linkwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The speyside Linkwood distillery has become a very important and popular malt among whisky blenders. In no small part is this due to both the light and fruity nature of the spirit, but also the tendency of Linkwood to develop a oily weight on the palate after maturation.
Linkwood distillery began life as an illicit operation in 1821, but the owner smartly waited until after the 1823 Excise Act was in effect before licensing operations in 1825. From beginnings of 4,500 litres of spirit, Linkwood currently distills roughly 5.5 million litres of spirit per annum from its 3 sets of 2 stills.
The light and fruity new-make spirit is crafted from a slow ferment (75 hour average) and charging the wash still with a very clear wort. The spirit stills are significantly larger than the wash stills, resulting in increased reflux and copper contact to lighten the spirit.
Given the weight of the spirit Linkwood is an unusual member of the 'light and fruity' camp, in that the spirit can handle maturation in active ex-wine casks without losing the spirit character.
