Longmorn is a Speyside distillery that is Owned by Pernod Ricard and is mainly used for blending, the official range is composed of and NAS (Distiller’s Choice) and a 23yr old. I believe there might be some older expressions also, I had heard mixed reviews on this whisky although more in the love it than hate it camp. It is a whisky mostly known for the backlash when they pulled the 16 off the market for a bit only to replace it with a version at more than twice the price, yikes!
Nose: Fresh, malty, mixed nuts, loads of apples, apricot paste and beeswax. Like a Glenfiddich but with more guts. This has a great sherry integration, spice, currants, vanilla, the richness of oak and cedar but also a firm sharpness.
Palate: Dried herbs, roasted nuts, jam made from stone fruits. It then is almost like Fino sherry is some ways with that slightly sour yeasty side. It’s tingly on the tongue almost effervescent.
Finish: It’s long and mouth coating, almost cognac like, minus the sweetness. There’s a lot of oak here but the fresh sharp aspect keeps it from being crazy. The ABV delivers the right intensity that is needed to push the flavors forward.
The Blab: Why is this so expensive? No but seriously, I really love this whisky it is a superbly crafted malt but there’s no way it’s worth the 260$ (Canadian) they are asking for.
I used to think a lot of the backbone of the good Chivas Blends I had tasted was Aberlour I realize that Longmorn is probably the one giving them some weight.
Longmorn 16
48%/ABV
87/100
Elegant Bastards 