Linkwood 5 Year Old 1973 Pure Highland Malt

The Linkwood distillery has been operational since 1821. In 1962 significant refurbishments were conducted and in 1971 the number of stills was increased from 2 to 4. Actually, a new set of four stills was put in place in what sometimes is referred to as Linkwood B. Linkwood A, with the two original stills, was closed in 1972. This is a distillate from 1973, bottled in 1978 by John McEwan & Co. Later, they also bottled a 12 Year Old under the same white (and later black) label. This is the youngest Linkwood I have tried so far.

The nose is fruity and fresh, with a slight meaty side. Think (a lot of) citrus fruit and (not so much) smoked ham. Somewhat weird. Loads of grain and even yeast. Very new makish, if you know what I mean. Heather and stewed apples.

It is very light on the palate. Again a lot of citrus, but also loads of grain. Clearly a very young thing. Nice spiciness though.

The finish is short and sweet.

A bit of a strange experience because of that meaty side, which you do not expect with a Speysider. Thank you, Chris, for the sample.

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