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.

This Scottish single malt was finished for 12 years in sweet red wine casks and bottled in very limited quantities by Diageo, a company that owns the majority of Scotland’’s whisky distilleries. This bottling is one the very few produced by the distillery in 2008, with only 1,260 bottles released.
It is a beautiful amber colour with pink hues. The rich, creamy nose is pepped up by notes of coffee, mocha and blueberry bonbons. It develops nobly into tobacco and lily flower. The palate is delicate and taut. Sweet notes of citrus fruits make way for a hint of Turkish delight and salted butter caramel. The finish is slightly tannic, with delicious bitterness.