Scotland, Speyside. Distillery operational. Owner: Diageo

Speyside, the golden triangle of the Scotch whisky industry, is home to a huge concentration of distilleries. From the internationally renowned to those known only to a few, Linkwood included. The distillery's oldest bottlings come from Italian importers such as Samaroli and Darma Import. One of the most sought-after is the Linkwood 12 Year Old 1957, 56.9%, Samaroli Import. After this, bottlings from its owners United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo) were rarer and appeared primarily in the Rare Malts Selection, Flora & Fauna and Manager's Dram ranges. It was not until the early 2000s that a 1981 trilogy finished in port, rum and red wine casks was released, propelling Linkwood into the spotlight. One again, it was independent bottlers, including Gordon & MacPhail and Cadenhead, that drove this single malt and brought it to the public's attention, from ex-sherry casks to very old vintages such as the 1939.

Distilled at the Linkwood distillery in 1988, this expression bottled at 58.6% ABV was matured for 21 years in a bourbon hogshead cask and bottled by the Swiss bottler The Stillman in 2010. Only 220 bottles were filled from this cask no. 2, making it an extremely limited edition.
Behind the golden colour lies a single cask with a very elegant nose, revealing aromas of orange blossom, stewed apple and sweet pastries. The palate is round and almost jammy, but pepped up by a note of pepper and a hint of lychee. The long and creamy finish ends on ginger.