Linlithgow 1982 (Duncan Taylor)

Single malt Linlithgow, an independent Duncan Taylor bottling, a 21 year old release from 1982, drawn from cask 2214 and bottled at 63.5%. The outturn was 633 bottles. The lost Lowland distillery Linlithgow, built in 1753 in West Lothian's county town, was brought to a halt in 1983. It is prized as a true individual of Scotch.

The spirit was made in floor malted, coal fired pot stills in the old way, for an elegant, waxy make quite its own. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, lending honey and vanilla under the grass. Around two decades the oily spirit deepens, grass and white fruit knitting with the oak. Years in oak build a waxy weight over the mineral, grassy distillate. Tasters often liken its waxy, mineral edge to a fine Riesling. Floor maltings worked on site until 1968, the spirit run from five coal fired stills. It is among the most lamented of all Scotland's lost Lowland distilleries.

Bottled at a cask strength 63.5%, it is rich. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel, with a mineral, oily character with sharp fruit. The texture is oily and coating, the wax threaded through. A gently oily finish lingers warm. This is prized closed era stock from a true individual of Scotch.