Our first head-to-head this week are two Longmorns distilled in 1976. We’ll start with The Whisky Agency. It’s part of the series with Landscape labels.

Longmorn 34yo 1976
(50,2%, The Whisky Agency ‘Landscapes’ 2010, bourbon hogshead, 139 btl.)

The nose immediately shows a big fruitiness. If you don’t mind a little generalisation, ‘76 tends to be less tropical than ‘75 Longmorn. It seems right. This one shows quite some kumquat and fresh oranges. Apricots and gooseberries. Lemon balm as well as a little mint and eucalyptus. It shows a nice dustiness and faint flinty notes, but they seem to come and go. Cinnamon. Soft oak. Water brings out grapefruit. Mouth: quite oily. Now the citrus fruits stand out – mainly oranges. Hints of pears. A few resinous notes from the oak. Ginger lemonade. Evolves on grapefruit. Very nice, with a light hint of smoke. Finish: long, on lemon and mint with a little resin again.

This is a very attractive Longmorn, less luscious and less tropical than some of the 1975’s we’ve had, but still really excellent. Around € 180. Limited availability.

Score: 91/100