Product description
Linkwood Distillery has been producing whisky since 1821. It is currently owned by Diageo and following its last expansion completed in 2013, its capacity has increased to 5.6 million litres of distillate per year.
Around 98% of production goes into blends from the Diageo portfolio, mainly Johnnie Walker, Bell's White Horse and Haig's. Linkwood is highly regarded by blenders, who include it in the top 12 malt whiskies. The lack of an official release is somewhat offset by Gordon & MacPhail including Linkwood in their Distillery Labels series (whiskies in this series have individual labels). The Linkwood 15 year old presented here is matured in first and refill sherry casks and bottled at 46% abv (in 2020 Gordon & MacPhail increased the abv from 43 to 46%).
Nose: pleasant sherry notes, oranges, apricots, black cherries, raisins, toffee, honey, milk chocolate, a touch of cinnamon and ginger and some oak.
Taste: sweet, with a delicate spiciness, cherries, plums, blackberries, orange peel, milk chocolate, honey nuts, cinnamon, candied ginger and a slight bitterness of oak.
Finish : medium long, with notes of sherry, prunes, cinnamon, ginger, a touch of nutmeg and oak.