Linkwood Distillery - Speyside

Linkwood distillery is located close to Elgin in the Speyside. It was built in 1821 but only started operations in 1824 once the Excise Act 1823 was enacted. The distillery operated under the management of an appointed master distiller until the death of the founder Peter Brown. His son William Brown took control of the distillery immediately after his death.

The distillery was rebuilt between 1872 and 1873 and the production capacity was increased. The distillery operated independently until William Brown's death. His family formed the Linkwood-Glenlivet Co. after his passing and expanded the production capacity once more. Innes Cameron, who went on to become the largest shareholder at Linkwood-Glenlivet, joined the company in 1902.

The distillery survived WWI rationing and the ripples caused by the prohibition in America. In 1932 the Linkwood-Glenlivet Co. was sold to Scottish Malt Distillers who in turned were bought by United Distillers.

Like most distilleries, Linkwood ceased production during WWII and reopened in 1945. The plant was modernised in 1972 and a new distillery, 'Linkwood B', was built. The original distillery was used for some years by Diageo as a research lab. Copper influence, worm tubs, condensers and reflux were researched and analysed.

Linkwood was modernised again in 2012, the old distillery buildings were demolished and the production capacity was expanded to the current 5.5 million liters. Although whisky from this distillery is mostly used for blending purposes, independent bottlers often release Linkwood as a single malt.

The style of whisky produced by Linkwood distillery is textured and delicate. Notes of freshly cut grass, hay, nectarines and dried apricots develop on the palate. This is achieved by using a long fermentation period of up to 75 hours and by maximising reflux during distillation.

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