PRE-ORDER — SHIPPING MID-SEPTEMBER

These bottles have arrived in the U.S. and are making their way to our retail partner. Pre-order now to reserve your bottle. Orders are expected to ship in mid-September.

Scotch Drinkers Only – Linkwood 15 Year Old

Single Cask | Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel | Cask Strength

An elegant single cask Linkwood selected and bottled exclusively for the Scotch Drinkers Only range. Matured for 15 years in a Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel and bottled at its natural cask strength of 53.6% ABV, this release showcases the distillery's beautifully refined spirit with minimal cask influence. The refill bourbon barrel allows Linkwood's delicate fruit, floral character, and creamy malt to take center stage, resulting in a whisky of remarkable balance and sophistication.

Whisky Details

Distillery	Linkwood
Region	Speyside
Brand	Scotch Drinkers Only
Age	15 Years Old
Cask Type	Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Cask Number	#308130
ABV	53.6% (Cask Strength)
Bottle Size	700ml
Outturn	248 Bottles

Tasting Notes

Nose

Delicate aromas of ripe pear, green apple, white peach, wildflower honey, vanilla cream, and fresh-cut grass are complemented by hints of lemon blossom and soft oak.

Palate

Silky and elegant with flavors of orchard fruits, vanilla custard, buttery shortbread, malted barley, toasted almonds, and gentle oak spice. Layers of citrus zest and floral honey develop with time in the glass.

Finish

Long, refined, and softly warming with lingering notes of sweet malt, vanilla, citrus peel, delicate oak, and subtle floral sweetness.

Additional Information

✓ Natural Color
✓ Non-Chill Filtered
✓ Single Cask Bottling
✓ Bottled at Natural Cask Strength

Why We Bottled It

Some casks announce themselves immediately. Others earn your admiration over time.

We had been patiently drawing samples from this cask over several years, watching it develop into something truly special. Each visit revealed a little more elegance, a little more depth, and reinforced our belief that it simply needed more time.

The turning point came when we shared a sample with our friends Graeme and Ross from Whisky Stories Pod. Their initial reaction was one we've heard before: "Another Linkwood?" Like many whisky drinkers, they expected a solid but unremarkable Speyside malt.

Then they tasted it.The skepticism quickly disappeared. They were every bit as impressed as we were, praising its remarkable balance, purity of spirit, and effortless drinkability. Their immediate response was simple: "Bottle it."

That was all the encouragement we needed.

This 15-year-old refill bourbon cask captures everything we love about Linkwood: elegant orchard fruit, floral complexity, creamy malt, and a spirit that shines because the cask never overwhelms it. We're delighted to bring this exceptional single cask to the U.S. and share a whisky that completely changed a few minds, including those of two seasoned whisky podcasters.

Another site with ties to illicit distilling, the Linkwood Distillery ‘officially’ began production in 1824 after the legalization of whisky distillation. Originally a very small operation, Peter Brown set up operations in Elgin with just one wash still and one spirit still. After Peter’s death in 1868, his son William razed the small distillery and built out a larger facility. Throughout the years, the distillery went through several owners and more renovations, including the addition of a second still house. Now owned by Diageo, it was for a time used as a research site to explore the impacts and effects of copper, reflux and worm tubs on scotch whisky.

Linkwood’ s six stills are pear shaped and with tall conical necks. Its wort is extremely clear, its fermentation period very long and its copper contact maximized. All of these contribute to the quintessential Linkwood fragrance, notes of a spring meadow sprinkled with apple and peach orchards. Popular in Diageo blends, the spirit’s fresh and light aromas carry through to the palate, along with a thick full body that’s appreciated by those scotch drinkers lucky enough to get their hands on a single malt bottling. Diageo releases Linkwood single malts in its Flora and Fauna series (not available to the U.S. market) but independent bottler releases are very popular among whisky fans across the United Kingdom and continental Europe. We are excited to bring you this single cask, single malt Linkwood from Creetown Distillers.