THE LINKWOOD DUO, PX VS OLOROSO
Linkwood is the Elgin distillery blenders fight over and drinkers almost never see under its own name: light, floral, fragrant, and nearly all of it goes into Johnnie Walker. Two independent bottlers took the same approach to it. Start in ex-bourbon wood, let the spirit build, then move it to sherry to finish. Tri Carragh chose a Pedro Ximenez hogshead, sweet and dark, reracked March 2023. Blackadder chose an Oloroso barrel, dry and nutty, Barrel No. 70.
Same distillery, same recipe, two sherries. Both at cask strength, both natural colour, and the Blackadder is Raw Cask, bottled with no filtration of any kind. Sold as a set, 10% cheaper than the two bottles on their own. Three sets exist.
Bottle one: Tri Carragh Linkwood 13, 1st Fill PX Hogshead Finish
- Distilled October 6, 2011. Refill bourbon maturation, then reracked March 2023 into a first fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead. 206 bottles.
- 52.1% cask strength, natural colour, non-chill filtered.
- Tri Carragh's notes: red berries and dark fruits, vanilla scone with clotted cream and jam. Dark redcurrants, figs, dates, nuts and a subtle tannic grip; with water, vanilla and a delicate rosewater note. Soft caramel syrup to finish.
Bottle two: Blackadder Raw Cask Linkwood 12, Oloroso Barrel No. 70
- Distilled April 2, 2013, bottled February 2026. Ex-bourbon maturation, finished in Oloroso sherry Barrel No. 70. 261 bottles.
- 59.1% cask strength, natural colour, Raw Cask: no filtration at all, cask sediment travels with the spirit.
- No tasting notes, by Blackadder's design. Every technical detail is published; what you find in the glass is yours.
Why a set
Linkwood's spirit is delicate enough that the finishing cask decides the whisky. PX brings sugar, colour and dried fruit; Oloroso brings nuts, dryness and structure. Pour them side by side and you are tasting two answers to the same question: how much sherry can a floral Speysider carry before the flowers disappear? Tri Carragh publishes its answer in tasting notes. Blackadder leaves you to write your own.
One set contains one 700ml bottle of each release. Both are in stock and ship now.
10% off buying both bottles separately.
| Specification | Tri Carragh | Blackadder Raw Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Single malt Scotch, single cask | Single malt Scotch, single cask |
| Distillery | Linkwood (Speyside) | Linkwood (Speyside) |
| Distilled | October 6, 2011 | April 2, 2013 |
| Age | 13 years | 12 years |
| Maturation | Refill bourbon, then 1st fill PX sherry hogshead finish (reracked March 2023) | Ex-bourbon, then Oloroso sherry barrel finish (Barrel No. 70) |
| ABV | 52.1% | 59.1% |
| Outturn | 206 bottles | 261 bottles |
| Filtration | Non-chill filtered | None at all (Raw Cask) |
| Volume | 700ml | 700ml |
| Presentation | Cask strength, natural colour. Sold only as a two-bottle set. | |
