Longmorn
- OWNER: CHIVAS BROTHERS/PERNOD RICARD
- FOUNDED: 1893
- REGION: SPEYSIDE
John Duff founded Longmorn in 1893, and BenRiach next door two years later, to take advantage of the late-Victorian whisky boom; a few years later, it all collapsed, and Longmorn closed. Duff sold it to James Grant in 1899; eventually it merged with Glenlivet and Glen Grant, which in 1977 flowed into Seagram, and later into the hands of Chivas Brothers and its parent, Pernod Ricard. Longmorn provides a sizable amount of the malt that goes into Chivas’s blended expressions, and only recently has become regularly available in official bottlings. Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, worked briefly at Longmorn, and it is said he modeled Nikka Distillery after it.
Aged 16 Years
An upgrade from the previous fifteen-year-old release, aged in ex-bourbon casks.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 16 years old
- ALC/VOL 48%
- NOSE Caramel, fresh leather, vanilla toffee, fabric softener, white port, and melon; water adds a luscious floral intensity.
- PALATE Thick, with cake batter, dates, leather, ash, and spice at mid-palate; with water, you’ll get mangos and dried tropical fruit. The finish is semi-dry, with raw almonds, chocolate, oranges, and salt.
- GENERAL Tons of tropical fruits, flowers, raisins, and thick sweetness. Delicate but robust. Gorgeous.