Linkwood Whisky

Linkwood Whisky Distillery was built in 1821 by Peter Brown, a factor of the Seafield Estates in Moray and Banffshire; a man of much influence and one of the foremost agricultural innovators of the time. The Linkwood Whisky Distillery was built to extend the productivity of Brown's land and provide the final link in the agrarian cycle. Barley grown on the estates was used in Linkwood Malt Whisky production and the by-product, known as 'draff', was used as feed to fatten the cattle. After temporary closure between 1941 and 1945 as a result of barley shortage during the World War II, the distillery reopened in 1945 under Roderick Mackenzie, who led the distillery until 1963. Mackenzie who believed that all things in the distillery contributed to the final product. In 1962, Scottish Malt Distillers decided the distillery needed to be completely refurbished. Mackenzie oversaw the rebuilding of the distillery in his last year as general manager.