
July 9, 2025

Five Linkwood B and one Linkwood A

Linkwood when A was still standing (geograph)

There’s been quite a bit of Linkwood among the independents lately, and we’re certainly not complaining. Especially since we’ve also got a Linkwood from the old distillery up our sleeve – just wait and see… Let me remind you that Linkwood A was the original distillery, founded in 182, with production starting around 1824/1825. In 1971, a second facility, Linkwood B, was built next to it to increase production capacity. From 1971 to 1985, both Linkwood A and B operated in parallel. In 1985, the original distillery was permanently closed (and demolished around twelve years ago) and only Linkwood B remained active. Everything we’re going to taste, then, comes from Linkwood B, except the last one.

Linkwood 9 yo 2015/2025 (50%, Elevenses Whisky, Fairgound Delight, refill bourbon hogshead, 694 bottles)

Some newcomers to the scene, I presume, as I’d never heard of Elevenses before. The bottle’s rather amusing, it’s a bit reminiscent of Spanish grapeseed oil, and the price is almost as reasonable as that of actual grapeseed oil in Spain. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s fresh, youthful, very close to the distillate, with notes of gherkin brine, pear juice and sunflower oil. This is clearly all about the raw materials. With water: a touch of geranium blossom, some cake batter, and a slight saponification after dilution… Mouth (neat): curiously a tad saline, otherwise quite barley-forward with hints of fruit peelings, apples… With water: more malty and more floral, even slightly peppery but that’s probably just its youth showing. Finish: medium length, on pear and still that faintly saline edge. Comments: jolly pleasant and above all very natural.
SGP:551 - 83 points.

Linkwood 8 yo 2016/2024 (57.8%, Fragrant Drops, oloroso quarter casks, casks # 29791-29792, 294 bottles)

From the same parent company, it would seem. The whisky’s pedigree, however, is clearly heading in the opposite direction… Colour: amber. Nose: coconutty oak, walnut wine, dried figs, dates, sultanas… All very pleasant indeed. With water: tobacco and Thai broth. Mouth (neat): creamy, on candied ginger and coriander seeds (the oak again), orange marmalade, a touch of yellow curry, dates… With water: works a treat, a lovely spicy, peppery profile with sweet paprika and lemon-tree honey. Finish: long, spicier still, with a big gingery comeback. Comments: serious work with those quarter casks, you either like it or you don’t, but there’s no denying it’s been very well crafted and tightly steered.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Linkwood 10 yo 2013/2023 (57.1%, The Whisky Exchange, Seasons: Spring, refill bourbon barrels, cask # 307180)

Colour: white wine. Nose: pure pears and cherry clafoutis. With water: a drop of barley syrup. Mouth (neat): pretty superb, taut as a bowstring and bursting with fruit. Pear eau-de-vie straight off the still, with a few dashes of vanilla for good measure. With water: no major changes. Finish: long, same story, clean and fresh. And very much on the pear. Comments: slightly reminiscent of the Elevenses but with a bit more bite. Lovely bottle.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Linkwood 15 yo 2009/2025 (56.2%, Signatory Vintage, Symington’s Choice, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt, cask #8, 683 bottles)

They’ve really become the emperors of sherry at Signatory over the past couple of years, haven’t they, with some rather prime space left vacant by certain major Speyside distilleries. Colour: mahogany. Nose: this is the expected style, cedarwood, touches of graphite, chocolate, umami notes, a lovely meaty character, and some proper Corinthian raisins… With water: in come mentholated and camphory touches, though the cedar stays firmly in place. Pencil shavings. Mouth (neat): oh, very good, more on the earthy side, black pepper, liquorice, walnut liqueur (big time) … With water: even more powerful, loaded with spices and wood extracts, yet oddly enough, balance has been struck. Finish: long, almost thick, still on pepper and cedarwood. Comments: this one really speaks volumes. Definitely a bottle to cellar for, say, thirty years, just to smooth out the corners.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Linkwood 16 yo 2008/2025 (58.7%, Signatory Vintage, The Whisky Exchange exclusive, Bourbon Cask Series, cask # 800064, 174 bottles)

Now this, this is surely a clever one… Colour: gold. Nose: it’s oily yet bright, with a touch of fusel oil, but also splendid yellow citrus and wild wee apples, service tree berries, jujubes and the like. All this on a panettone fresher than a daisy at dawn. Gorgeous vanilla cream, plus a sheet of carbon paper. Okay, Gen Z? With water: in comes motor oil and even a bit of Bakelite. Boomer territory, barely. Mouth (neat): oh yes, fresh, rich, yet fresh, yet rich, on vanilla cream, sunflower oil, granny smiths and golden delicious. With water: lemony, fatty, very good, fresh, beautiful apples. Finish: fairly long, still on green apples, malt, and a very discreet vanilla + coconut combo. Rather brilliant. Comments: yes, very good, really taut.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

It’s already time to wrap things up…

Linkwood 12 yo 1959 (43%, OB, for Samaroli Silvano, 2 litres, +/-1971)

Here comes Linkwood ‘A’! One of the very first imports by Silvano Samaroli! And bottled in a two-litre format no less, hence a ‘super magnum’. There were other vintages in this ‘black label’ series, 1958, 1960… But not in super magnum, I believe, those are exceedingly rare. Colour: gold. Nose: wait a moment, I was mistaken, this is Sicilian olive oil blended with a few drops of moped fuel mix. Ex-Malaguti, perhaps? This kind of opulent fatness could only come from an old-school distillery, here ‘old’ Linkwood indeed. Lovely little hints of charcoal, setting spray, ink, grated lemon zest… It’s the fatness and texture on the nose that truly impress. Mouth: to be honest, there’s a hint of soapiness, a touch of light-struck flavour, but the rest unfolds on plasticine, apple peel, walnut and almond skins, and above all that famously saline manzanilla character. Finish: same again, textured, oily, not showing its age in the slightest. The barley itself remains as well – just imagine, likely harvested in 1958! Comments: let’s be honest, this is clearly an old malt for die-hard geeks, but here’s to you, Silvano-in-the-sky!
SGP:352 - 89 points (though emotionally, much more).

(Merci a lot, Massimo)

Check the index of all Linkwood we've tasted so far