Linkwood distillery information
The Linkwood distillery was founded in 1821 on the Linkwood estate (from which it takes its name) in the town of Elgin, in the Speyside whisky region by Peter Brown, but it took until 1825 before production started. From 1842 and onward, James Walker, who previously worked at Aberlour, would manage the distillery on Brown’s behalf. Brown died in 1868, leaving the distillery to his son William, who demolished and rebuilt Linkwood in between 1872 and 1874 to a design by architect Methven. The distillery would remain in the Brown family until 1897, when they established a Limited company by the name Linkwood-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd. 5 years later, in 1902, Robert Innes Cameron joined the board of the company.
Innes Cameron would eventually own the majority of the shares and lead the distillery (he also owned Benrinnes, Tamdhu, and Teaninich), doing so until he passed away in 1932. Shortly after, Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) would take over Linkwood. The distillery was closed between 1941 and 1945, due to barley shortage as a result of World War 2. It reopened in 1945, with Robert Mackenzie as a manager. Mackenzie was apparently a superstitious man who refused to make any changes in the distillery, afraid that this might affect the character of the spirit. Rumours were he didn’t even want to have spiderwebs removed.
By 1962, SMD decided that a major refurbishment was in order, with the stills converted to steam heating, and electricty installed throughout the distillery. Furthermore, the steam engine and waterwheel were replaced, as were the stills, though the replacements were created to be exact replicas of the old stills. In 1971, a second distillery was constructed directly next to the existing distillery, with the old one taking on the name “Linkwood A”, and the new one “Linkwood B”. The B section contained four stills, bringing the total to six.
Both distilleries produced simultaneously, until 1985, when the A-section was closed down. It reopened from 1990 to 1996, though it has not run continuously in that period, instead just distilling a few months a year. The produce of both the distilleries is married/vatted together. In 2011, more refurbishments took place, with he Mash tun being replaced with a new Stainless steel one, and parts of the wash stills replaced.
Linkwood Whiskies
Most whisky distilled at Linkwood finds its way into blends, particularly Johnnie Walker and White Horse. However, some official bottlings have been releaed:
- Flora & Fauna; 12 Years Old (released in 1990)
- Rare Malts; 26 Years Old (released in 2002)
- Rare Malts; 30 Years Old (released in 2005)
- Port finish; 26 Years Old; finished in a Port cask for 14 years
- Red wine finish; 26 Years Old; finished in red wine cask for 14 years
- Rum finish; 26 Years Old, finished in a rum cask for 14 years
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Linkwood |
| Region | Speyside |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Water source | Springs near Milbuies Loch |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Diageo |
| Address |
Diageo +44 (0) 1343 553800 |
| Visitor centre | No |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 12 tonnes | 1 (Stainless Steel) |
| Washback | 80,000 litres | 11 (Larch (6 in the B-section, 5 smaller ones in the A-section that are now no longer in use)) |
| Wash still | 14,500 litres | 3 (1 in A-section) |
| Spirit Still | 16,000 litres | 3 (1 in A-section) |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 3,500,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Linkwood was founded in 1821 on the Linkwood estate, from which it takes its name, in the town of Elgin in the Speyside region, by Peter Brown, though it took until 1825 before production actually started.
From 1842 onward, James Walker, who had previously worked at Aberlour, managed the distillery on Peter Brown’s behalf.
Peter Brown died in 1868, leaving the distillery to his son William, who demolished and rebuilt Linkwood between 1872 and 1874 to a design by architect Methven. The distillery remained in the Brown family until 1897, when they established a limited company under the name Linkwood-Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd.
Robert Innes Cameron joined the company’s board in 1902 and eventually owned the majority of shares, leading the distillery until his death in 1932. At the same time, he also owned Benrinnes, Tamdhu, and Teaninich.
Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) took over Linkwood shortly after Innes Cameron’s death. The distillery closed between 1941 and 1945 due to wartime barley shortages, reopening under manager Robert Mackenzie, who was reportedly so superstitious about preserving the spirit’s character that he refused to make any changes to the distillery, with rumours suggesting he wouldn’t even allow spiderwebs to be removed.
By 1962, SMD undertook a major refurbishment, converting the stills to steam heating, installing electricity throughout, and replacing the steam engine, waterwheel and stills, though the new stills were built as exact replicas of the originals. In 1971, a second distillery was built directly next to the existing one; the original took the name “Linkwood A” and the new site “Linkwood B”, which added four stills for a total of six. Both distilleries ran simultaneously until the A-section closed in 1985, later running intermittently between 1990 and 1996. The output of both sections is married together.
Most whisky distilled at Linkwood goes into blends, particularly Johnnie Walker and White Horse. Official bottlings have included a 12 Year Old Flora & Fauna in 1990, Rare Malts releases at 26 and 30 Years Old in 2002 and 2005, and 26 Year Old expressions finished for 14 years in Port, red wine and rum casks respectively.
No, Linkwood does not have a visitor centre.