Bought: Whisky Mouse, 4th November 2015
Ratings:
80.5/100 – Whiskybase (average from 2 member votes)
Linlithgow distillery (aka St Magdelane) started life in the Scottish lowlands town of Linlithgow in 1798. It moved to a nearby site in 1834. This location had previously been occupied by the St Magdelane hospital, which provided the new name for the distillery. Nevertheless, to this day both names are used for whisky produced at the distillery, which unfortunately closed in 1983. On Whiskybase there are 106 bottles listed under the name of St Magdelane and 70 for Linlithgow.
Apparently blind tasting Linlithgow / St Magdelane can be quite confusing even for the most experienced whisky drinker. Said to have high complexity, smokiness and even peat, there can also be sweetness reminiscent of Macallan. It’s hard to pin down as a lowlander and not likely to be confused with Auchentoshan or Glenkinchie.
80.5/100 on Whiskybase is a reasonable mark but it’s only from 2 member votes. Bottles are highly collectable and could well be a good investment. The neck level in my Linlithgow is excellent when you consider it was bottled in 2000, 16 years ago. No sign of evaporation suggests a very good seal. Long may that continue!
Here’s a short video from You Tube showing the distillery as it is today, transformed into flats but retaining the original pagodas:
Whisky Den 