Generally, when a bottler releases an old whisky like this, there’s quite some information on the bottle. Previous contents of the cask, year of bottling, age. Stuff that makes it stand out. Things that make you go ‘I want that 30-something year old Longmorn!’.
Not these guys. Apart from the vintage, which is impressive nonetheless, there’s not much to go by. Luckily, a whisky friend (GvB) is one of the Longmorn Brothers and decided to bring me a little sample of this, so I could taste it!
Sniff:
It’s quite oak driven with lots of gentle woody notes and old barley. Dried peach, apricot, straw. I also get a hint of cedar and gingerbread.
Sip:
The palate is smooth and complex, with hints of dried peach, grilled peach too. Notes of puff pastry, coconut husk. The cedar and old barley are present on the palate too.
Swallow:
On the finish there’s more baking spices, with cinnamon and clove. Still, the barley and pastry notes linger, with oak and peach.
This is gorgeous stuff and quite a good example of why people love old Longmorn so much. A lot of different flavors are to be discovered and none overpower the rest. Different sides and aspects make this a whisky to return to and discover something new, every time.
It’s absolutely gorgeous, and even though this is an older bottling, the initial retail price was some € 130 and I would have gladly paid it for a bottle. Of course, when this would pop up now it would cost a multitude of that.
91/100
