Well Spring has finally arrived, and what better way to spend it than treating yourself to a bottle of delicious malt whisky from our ever increasing range.
This month I’d like to sing the praises of the lesser known distilleries. Enter stage left the Linkwood 12. They don’t have a visitor centre or indeed accept the public for tours, they just toil away making some bloody good malt, but alas most of it is destined for blending into the like of Jonnie Walker Blue.
But fortunately a while back someone at Diageo decided that some of its lesser known distilleries deserve to have their spirit bottled and sold as a single malt. And so it came to pass 26 such distilleries initially bottled malt under the infamous “Flora and Fauna” range of malts. Today only about 5 are left as most have long since been sold, mothballed or no longer produce a single malt from their distillery.
If you can lay your hands on older bottles from this range do, as they are very collectible, I’ve had fun tracking down 20 of the 26 bottlings so far, and always on the lookout for the elusive ones to finish the set. I just don’t tell my wife how much the rarer ones cost!
A true Speyside whisky, the Linkwood exhibits an undeniably perfumed nose, exuding floral elegance, barley and rose notes. Take a sip and it is hard not to notice the viscosity of this malt, with a smooth and clean demerara-like sweetness which is balanced to perfection with an extraordinary long finish of subtle wood and toasted almonds.
All in all the Linkwood is an honest example of a lip-smackingly great whisky, it showcases the best of what this traditional malt-producing region can achieve. So next time you step out for some Jonnie Walker Blue, leave the gold bullion at home and give this one a go!
Slàinte.