Linlithgow 1975 (Signatory)

Bottled by Signatory Vintage, this Linlithgow, a 30 year old release from 1975, drawn from cask 96/3/39 and bottled at 47.7%. Only 280 bottles were released. Linlithgow was founded in 1753 on the Union Canal in West Lothian, and closed in the great cull of 1983. Its silent malt grew into a Lowland legend.

Distilled in coal fired pot stills, the barley floor malted on site, giving the waxy, mineral spirit it is remembered for. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Past twenty five years the spirit turns honeyed and tropical while keeping its edge. A patient maturation suits the oily, waxy St Magdalene character. Closed era stock like this is finite, every bottle one fewer left. Linlithgow lies west of Edinburgh, in the old whisky country of West Lothian. St Magdalene took its name from a convent and leper hospital that once stood on the site.

At a hearty 47.7% it carries real weight. The refill oak lending honey and vanilla runs under apple, hay and a faint wisp of smoke. A beeswax and a sharp white fruit give it real depth. A long, honeyed finish carries a grassy note. This is a vanishing dram from Linlithgow's silent distillery.