A pretty large bag of Longmorn, randomly


January 6, 2025

A pretty large bag of Longmorn, randomly

We never quite understood why such an outstanding malt as Longmorn remained kind of tucked away in the owners' drawers. They had indeed released an attractive new 16-year-old after the old 15, but its price quickly crushed the buying ambitions of many enthusiasts. To be fair, it was the era of unbridled premiumisation, where very little actually made sense. Anyway, let’s dive in at random today—there will probably be quite a few rather old bottlings with no tasting notes yet here on this lousy website.

Pinova apple (Pour de Bon)

Longmorn-Glenlivet 23 yo 1994/2018 (52.6%, Cadenhead’s, Rum cask, Guadeloupe, 222 bottles)

A four-year finishing in Guadeloupean rum casks. These are not the worst, it must be said! Indeed, the use of rum casks has become rather commonplace, though one should remember that the first Springbank ‘rum cask’ releases from Cadenhead were met with thunderous applause, notably the astonishing 18-year-old 1973/1991 (WF 93). Colour: pale gold. Nose: one immediately detects Longmorn’s very ‘orchard-like’ fruitiness, with superb slightly green fruits, apples, plums, then hints of white beer and jasmine, before more exotic fruits—likely from the rum—such as lychees. With water: notes of orange zest and wax. Mouth (neat): taut as a bowstring, with little rum influence but instead green pepper, cider apples and fresh herbs, underpinned by a lovely acidity. With water: the sugarcane side emerges, along with pineapple and banana liqueur, becoming more pronounced. Guava juice follows, along with even more herbs. Finish: long, fruit peelings and bitters. Comments: the two spirits flirted with each other throughout.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Longmorn 17 yo 1996/2014 (46%, Signatory Vintage, Un-Chillfiltered Collection for The Whisky Fair Limburg, 1st fill sherry, cask #72322, 748 bottles)

Well, we’re not exactly early to this one. Colour: amber. Nose: we all know that Longmorn and a big, rich sherry cask go hand in hand, and that’s certainly the case here, with raisins, millionaire shortbread and a few tiny fragments of flint… and truffle. Mouth: chocolate and tobacco over almonds and bitter oranges, then gradually more coffee and very dark tea. Finish: much the same, with excellent length. Comments: old-school sherry, almost a sherry monster, slightly rustic. All in all, a charming country malt.
SGP:451 - 85 points.

Longmorn 2008/2022 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery Labels)

There have already been so many splendid Longmorns from G&M! In fact, they are probably the ones who popularised this distillery, if I’m not mistaken. Colour: gold. Nose: pure orchard-style Longmorn, apple juice, stewed apples, overripe apples… You get the idea. A touch of acacia honey and two or three sultanas in the background. So far, it does the job perfectly, provided one enjoys apples. Mouth: a bit stranger, slightly prickly and even fizzy, then almost soapy. An unexpectedly gin-and-tonic-like side emerges. Que pasa? It’s certainly not a sample issue. Finish: of medium length, a bit calmer, with apples returning alongside pears, and a hint of fudge in the aftertaste. Phew. Comments: I’m not sure I fully grasped this one. A placeholder score—the nose is lovely!
SGP:561 - 80 points.

Longmorn 21 yo 1992/2014 (49.7%, The Single Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #110979, 293 bottles)

Colour: full gold. Nose: close to the SigV, with prominent sherry, Mars bar, pipe tobacco, tarte Tatin (yes, apples again!) and quince paste. Mouth: excellent sherry, massive, slightly peppery, featuring walnut caramel tart, pecans, tobacco, dark chocolate and a touch of ginger… Finish: long, rich yet beautifully balanced, with citrus adding a sense of freshness. A hint of old amontillado. Comments: this is very, very good—perfectly constructed, highly classic, and with nothing to fault.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Longmorn 11 yo 2011/2022 (52.4%, Michiel Wigman, Inspiring Friends, 208 bottles)

These labels depict Michiel’s friends and were illustrated by Hans Dillesse, whose own portrait is featured here. In essence, it’s a self-portrait, almost on par with those of his compatriots Van Gogh or Rembrandt. Indeed! Colour: white wine. Nose: yes, here it is, the distillate in its purest form, with marvellous garden fruits—ripe apples once again, along with mirabelles, quinces, pears, pink grapefruits and a lovely touch of flint. With water: a very light waxy note à la Clynelish and hints of unripe bananas. Mouth (neat): honey and blood oranges, with a touch of pink pepper. Perfect weight. With water: almost like pure barley syrup. Finish: medium length, perfectly balanced, ideally fruity, never vulgar—or let’s say ‘too much’. Comments: pure Longmorn, by and for Longmorn aficionados. Exceptionally high level for an 11-year-old.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Longmorn 30 yo 1994/2024 (55.5%, LMDW Rothes Glen, Artist #14, refill American hogshead, cask #50086, 141 bottles)

‘Rothes Glen’ is the name of the only private house ever built by Charles Doig—you can’t get geekier than that, can you? Bravo to La Maison du Whisky. As usual, the label is very much to my taste. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s simple—take the 2011 we’ve just tasted and add 20 years of refractions and little aromatic twists. If you see what I mean. Leathers, flowers, tobaccos, waxes, small berries, precious woods, damp earth… With water: thuja wood, mint tea and hints of sea breezes. It feels like Essaouira—just add some Gnawa music and you’re there. Mouth (neat): firmer than expected, more resinous but with superb softness and complexity. Snuff tobacco, spruce bud liqueur, a touch of unexpected hoisin sauce, then bags of figs from various origins. With water: all the fruits of the garden, plus jams and syrups you could make from them. It’s more ‘Longmorn’ than Longmorn itself. Finish: resinous notes return, Vosges fir sweets, spruce honeydew, then almonds and orange peels. Comments: it sounds almost like a Michelin *** restaurant menu.
SGP:661 - 92 points.

No question of trying to top this sublime 30-year-old—we’ll pick up again tomorrow or later. Thank you for your understanding.

Check the index of all Longmorn we've tasted so far