Linkwood 25 years 1997 Signatory Vintage Cask n°7572-7573 - One of 453 - bottled 2022 Cask Strength Collection (Brown)

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.

A small batch Linkwood distilled in 1997, aged in a hogshead and bottled in 2022 by Signatory Vintage. The founder of Signatory Vintage, Andrew Symington, began working in whisky by selecting casks for the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh. He subsequently founded Signatory Vintage in 1988, where he invested in a small bottling chain within his cellars in Edinburgh. He started bottling at cask strength without cold filtering or colouring, which was uncommon for the late 1980s. The legendary Dumpy Bottle series listed information that up until that point had never been shared by bottlers, such as the cask number and the type of cask. The number of bottles was also included, written by hand. Signatory Vintage carved a reputation for themselves by not only selling legendary whiskies from iconic distilleries like Springbank, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Bowmore, but also by bottling whiskies from extremely rare distilleries like Ben Wyvis, Glen Flagler and Killyloch. Additionally, they also bottled numerous versions distilled in Lomond stills from Miltonduff (Mosstowie), Glen Keith (Craigduff, Glenisla) and Glenburgie (Glencraig). In 2002 Symington acquired the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry in the Highlands. He relocated Signatory Vintage and installed the cellars across from the distillery. A limited edition of 453 bottles.