Linkwood | Murray McDavid | Madeira Finish | 44,5%

The Linkwood Distillery, founded in 1821 by Peter Brown, is located on the outskirts of Elgin in the Speyside region of Scotland. Known for its fresh and floral aromas, the distillery holds a significant place in the history of Scottish whisky.

After a comprehensive renovation by the founder's son, William Brown, in 1874, the distillery continued to develop and underwent several modernizations, particularly in the 1970s when a second distillery was built opposite the original.

Linkwood primarily produces whisky for blends such as Johnnie Walker and White Horse but also offers some notable single malt releases. Popular releases include the Linkwood 12 Years from the Flora & Fauna series and independent bottlings by Gordon & MacPhail. These whiskies are known for their light, fruity flavor profile with notes of apple, pear, and vanilla, accompanied by a hint of smoke and a pleasant texture.

The distillery uses water from the Millbuies Spring and distills in traditional copper pot stills. Maturation takes place in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, contributing to the complexity and depth of the whiskies.

Murray McDavid was founded in early 1994 and quickly developed into a leading bottler of Scotch whisky. The company was one of the first to use a variety of interesting casks in the art of maturation to create inspired Scotch whisky. Murray McDavid was founded by the London wine merchants Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin, and Gordon Wright of the Springbank Distillery. They quickly gained a reputation for maturing whisky in interesting casks, particularly noble wine casks.

In 2000, the team at Murray McDavid set out to reopen the closed Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, enlisting the services of Jim McEwan, the most famous Master Distiller of Islay. In 2012, the spirits giant Remy Cointreau purchased the Bruichladdich Distillery and Murray McDavid. Later, Murray McDavid was sold to its current owners, the leading Scotch whisky broker Aceo Ltd.

Today, the home of Murray McDavid is the Coleburn Distillery in Speyside, where the tradition of bottling artfully matured Scotch whisky continues. Murray McDavid is known for its innovative methods of whisky maturation and the use of a wide range of casks, including wine casks, sherry casks, and other special types of casks, to create unique and complex flavor profiles.