
August 8, 2016

Some legendary old Longmorn

But before those pretty legendary Longmorns, a little apéritif from the sample library. What shall we find… eeny meeny…

Longmorn 17 yo 1987/2003 (58.3%, OB, Cask Strength, batch #LM17 003)

Ahem, this is a bit strong for an apéritif, isn’t it. Bah, what’s done is done. Colour: pale gold. Nose: sweet beer all over the place. Californian IPA, perhaps. And vanilla, and roasted nuts, and a saucerful of apple compote. Sweet hops is very dominating here, and intriguing. With water: huge saponification (spirit and water creating soapy smells), let’s wait… zzz… zzz… Ah yes, pure hoppy barley. Very nice. Mouth (neat): very powerful, and very beerish again. Plenty of malt and apples, with a thin layer of marmalade and honeydew. It works well despite the coarseness, which was to be found in all bottlings in this series in my humble opinion. With water: no changes, almost. Grassy maltiness, peelings, apples, raw malt. A little burnt coffee, perhaps. Finish: long, rather sharp and, again, coarse. Comments: very good, perhaps just not as ‘wow’ as some independent Longmorns. Ask G&M… SGP:441 - 82 points.

So, the 1973s…

Longmorn 1973/2003 (45%, Samaroli, 35th Anniversary)

From when Mr. Samaroli himself was still in charge. Colour: deep gold. Nose: sit down and prick up your ears, the whisky’s got something to say. Fabulously complex, as expected. Virginia tobacco, sultanas, chestnut honey, dried figs (plenty), mint honey, dried litchis, old Sauternes… And myriads of other dried/honeyed elements. I’m finding this astounding. Forgot to mention dried apricots. Mouth: rougher than expected, but splendid. Stout, raisins, figs, prunes, salted butter fudge, cereal bars… Perhaps is there a wee soapy side, almost unnoticeable, but that may come from the bottle. Beeswax. Finish: long, rounded, figgy (?)… Not quite a Christmas cake – this is not the season anyway – but we’re close. Or rather panettone, since the bottler is Italian? Comments: I was ready to go two or three points higher, only the wee touches of soap prevented me from doing that. I think I’ll have to try another bottle… SGP:651 - 90 points.

Longmorn 1972/2002 (43%, MacKillop’s Choice, sherry wood, cask #1099)

Ah, 1972… Colour: gold. Nose: it’s got everything you would expect from an old Longmorn, and everything you would expect from a very lightly sherried old Speysider. Amazing wild herbs and soft dried fruits combination. Verbena, wormwood, honeysuckle, quince jelly, honey, then rather a mentholy/tropical gig, with mangos and stewed rhubarb… Mouth: perhaps a wee bit oaky and drying at first, but this feeling of tropical honey is just mesmerizing. Dried mangos and papayas, plus slices of pineapple and coconut. Feels rather ‘bourbon wood’ but strictly nothing to complain about. Finish: medium, with an oakiness that’s a tad more apparent, around tea tannins. A lot of freshness left in the aftertaste. Comments: almost a wonder. Perhaps at a slightly higher strength? SGP:651 - 89 points.

Longmorn 21 yo 1964 (86 US proof, Duthie for Corti Bros, Sacramento, USA)

A series that made the mouths of many whisky aficionados water… It’s from when Cadenhead/R.W. Duthie were still in Aberdeen. Colour: straw. Nose: bang. This is philosophy, not whisky. It’s a whole. A concept. There’s everything in there, fruits, waxes, herbs, some mysterious animal and vegetal substances (ambergris? White truffle? Spanish ham?) What’s stunning, and what I always cherish, is the way it becomes mentholy over time. And that includes camphor, eucalyptus, fir tar, and so on. It’s Ueberwhisky, so far. Mouth: please call the anti-maltoporn brigade! Now, everybody knows that the old Longmorns could be totally stellar, but this is just ‘it’. Only the body’s a little less totally fantastic, but remember 86 US proof are only 43% alc/vol. Finish: it’s where it loses points, losing fruitiness and becoming a little too grassy/tea-ish for my taste. But we were at more or less 93/94, so, there was room. Comments: there used to be the sherried 1964s, and there were these lighter, paler ones. Both were great. Mind you, in the old days, plenty was no plague. SGP:562 - 92 points.

That’s enough for a summer session (but thanks Diego and Max)

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