This Longmorn 1965 was bottled for Limburg (home of The Whisky Fair and The Whisky Agency) by Gordon & MacPhail, which is no surprise as they practically own the complete stock of old Longmorn.

Longmorn 46 yo 1965 (51,8%, Gordon & MacPhail for Limburg 2011, Book of Kells, first fill sherry butt #370)

Nose: oh how great is this. A mixture of the best sherry fruits (fig jam, apricots, raspberries), all kinds of waxes (polished sandalwood, leather polish, tiny notes of oil paint and varnish), surprisingly exotic all-spice and subtle oak. Hints of eucalyptus. It shows elements of both old cognac and old rums. Just exquisite. Mouth: very punchy and so fruity again. Figs, raisins, apples with cinnamon, blood oranges… Herbal honey. Leather. Mint. Pleasantly oaky with a chocolate dryness towards the end. Finish: very long, not too dry with cinnamon, cocoa and menthol.

One of my favourite sherried Longmorns already. Impressive freshness at such an age. Recommended, even though the price will probably prevent you from rushing to the nearest whisky shop. Around € 370.

Score: 93/100

Longmorn 43 yo 1967 (52,6%, G&M for Japan Import System 2010, Book of Kells, refill sherry butt #753, 393 btl.)

Nose: big, powerful, old sherry. Rum & raisins, plums, dried figs as well as fresher raspberry. Whiffs of menthol and oak polish. Leather. Milk chocolat. Some gentle smoke in the background. Mouth: beautiful balance of dark sherry notes (cherry liqueur, dark chocolate, bitter almonds), dark caramel, roasted nuts and fruits (sour cherries, raspberry). Big hints of coffee powder. A little verbena. Cinnamon and nutmeg. A salty note as well (liquorice). Some tannins. Finish: very long, on dried fruits and salty oak.

Very heavy sherry with obvious oak but no astringent woodiness! Completely different from the other 1967, but equally great nectar in my opinon. Thanks again, Johannes! Around € 350 in auctions.

Score: 92/100

Longmorn 42 yo 1967 (53,1%, G&M for Japan Import System 2009, Book of Kells, refill sherry hogshead #3342, 162 btl.)

Nose: elegant nose on honey, stewed fruits and dried flowers. Hints of incense and waxed oak. Dried apricots and nuts. Very ripe oranges and quinces. Tropical notes such as papaya and guava. Whiffs of eucalyptus and mint. Leather as well. Softer than some 1970’s Longmorns but just as complex. Great so far. Mouth: nicely fruity (citrus, pear, apricot jam) with a fair amount of warm oak. Pepper and liquorice. Develops on pink grapefruit with a hint of ginger. A tad less complex than on the nose but quite wonderful. Finish: long, with the same aromas.

Although the wood has its say after 42 years, this is another lovely Longmorn, Thanks Johannes! Around € 350 in auctions.

Score: 92/100

Longmorn 23 yo 1969 (61,2%, G&M Cask series 1993, cask #3721 & 5297 btl.)

Nose: a punchy attack on vanilla and the most beautiful, warm, polished oak. A lot of leather. Gooseberries and tangerines. Yellow plums. Apricot marmalade. Then a whole series of exquisite beehive notes (heather honey, pollen, wax) – I adore these kind of notes. Hints of dried flowers and verbena tea. Mint as well. White chocolate. Impressive complexity with such a close interweaving of all the elements. Mouth: slightly hot but so good! A big fruitiness, with plenty of tropical fruits: guava, tangerine, passion fruits, peach, kumquats. There’s some wood and tannins, sure, but it’s never too dry. Quite some spices towards the finish (pepper and vanilla). Some roasted nuts, Gianduja chocolate and a hint of smoke in the background, right? Finish: long and leathery, still peppery, with drying oak and a vanilla-infused fruit salad.

Tropical notes, beehive notes, juicy oak… what a wonderful stream of fruits. And so punchy. In line with all these great Bowmore 1968s or old BenRiachs. Thanks Bert!

Score: 94/100

Longmorn 39yo 1969 (57,7%, Gordon & MacPhail for TWE 2009, cask #5305)

Nose: very rich and intense. Excellent old sherry (chocolate, figs, rancio). Surprisingly fresh notes as well. Violets. Bramble. Black cherry. Furniture wax. Hints of blood oranges. Spicy christmas cake with notes of cinnamon and cardamom. Mint. Mouth: starting mostly on coffee. A bit sour at first and overall rather dry. Figs again with dark chocolate. Developing on spices and strawberry jam. Very intense. A drop of water helps to loose the alcohol and brings out hints of passion fruit. Finish: long with predominant cocoa / coffee. Strong fig notes.

A great Longmorn for intense sherry lovers. The sherry character is spot on and the power is impressive at such an age. It’s even better with a small drop of water. Around € 240, available from TWE of course but other shops as well.

Score: 91/100

This Longmorn won a Gold medal in the 2006 Malt Maniacs Awards.

Longmorn 34 yo 1972 (45%, Gordon & MacPhail for LMdW 2006, cask #1088, 607 btl.)

Nose: obviously first fill sherry, but very fresh and lively. The usual raisins and dark chocolate are present, but there’s also fresh raspberry, apricot, banana and a few tropical notes. Gentle smoke. Really heavy sherry with beefy notes. A drop of water makes it slightly more herbal but it also amplifies the lush red fruits. Mouth: more smoke now, a few earthy notes and much more wood. Lots of kirsch and Mon Cherie. Moving to liquorice and almonds. Water adds bitter chocolate. Finish: more liquorice, plain salt and Ginjinha (Portuguese cherry liqueur). Long but a bit too dry and rather oaky.

A great Longmorn. The beefy nose and oaky finish will probably appeal to sherry lovers only, but it’s perfectly clean and pretty complex. Long gone.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 37 yo 1972 (51,3%,
Whisky Agency & Three Rivers Tokyo 2010, Perfect Dram IV, 231 btl.)

Nose: superb refill sherry – it shares a lot of influences with the LMdW bottling, but it’s definitely more elegant. The fruity side is bigger (mostly tangerine, banana and mango) and there are more flowery notes (violets and rosewater with some dry flowers). Big hints of furniture polish and cake. More almonds. Rum & raisins. A delicate whiff of peppermint. The heavy sherry of the LMdW bottling made place for a more fragrant and more complex profile with a better balance. No smoke in this one. Water brings out more red fruit (lovely redcurrant) and amplifies the flowers. Really outstanding. Mouth: very rich with lots of red fruits but also apples and apricot marmalade. Leather. Hints of tea yet never dry.
A bit of water makes it even more juicy with fresh figs and lush forest fruits. Finish: very long. The oak is easy to notice but it’s not nearly as invading as in the LMdW.

This Longmorn is exactly how I like my sherry bottlings! One of the best sherried whiskies I’ve come across lately, so “Perfect dram” may well be the truth! Around € 185, but sold out in most places. Too bad I didn’t discover it a bit earlier, because this is a jewel…

Score: 95/100

Its sister cask #3494 was a bourbon hogshead bottled for The Whisky Fair in 2006, so it’s probably safe to think this was an ex-bourbon cask as well.

Longmorn 28 yo 1974 (46%, Jack Wiebers
Scottish Castles 2003, cask #3495, 132 btl.)

Nose: starts on varnish and a little turpentine. After fifteen minutes of breathing, it has developed an excellent fruity profile with ripe honeydew melon, peaches, and soft vanilla. Great hints of strawberries and cream! Pleasant resinous notes without being oaky. A little mint. Lovely nose. Mouth: good impact, rather oily and very smooth. Showing some pink grapefruit and sweeter marmalade fruits. Some heather honey. Then a cocoa note. A little mint again. It must have been superb at cask strength. Finish: long, with spices as the main ingredient. Not dry though. Plenty of vanilla in the end.

An elegant Longmorn. Both bourbon and sherry versions of this distillery can be great at such an age. Difficult to find now – around € 200.

Score: 91/100

We’ll have it side-by-side with three other Longmorn 1975 releases published in the next couple of days.

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 (40,5%, Nectar of the Daily Drams for Germany, bourbon hogshead)

Nose: sweet and fruity Longmorn, with honey, tangerine and apricots. Lots of papaya and ripe bananas. Spanish membrillo. Almond cookies. Very sweet and rounded, with hints of white chocolate and a little mint and pepper to add to the complexity. Mouth: a fair amount of oak which adds a sourness to the otherwise great fruitiness. Oranges, apricots, passion fruits…  Then showing some more oak juice, fruit tea and grapefruit. Finish: not too long, citrusy and minty with traces of fruit compote.

A great nose with a slightly oaky palate. I started with a big 92 score but the palate brought it down to 87. Still an interesting malt, no doubt. Available from eSpirits, around € 180.

Score: 87/100

The Nectar of the Daily Drams (formerly called Daily Dram – much easier) released this 35 year-old simultaneously with The Whisky Agency who bottled a similar cask at 52,5%. Instinct tells me these casks are all from the 394x or 395x series that were also released by Whisky-Fässle (recently) and Three Rivers (some time ago).

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 
(44%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: very elegant and rich. A big amount of peaches, tangerines and almond cookies. Hints of papaya and banana. Lots of honey notes. Lovely beeswax. Also quite some esters: shoe polish, even some hints of marshmallows (these notes fade after a while). Nougat. Subtle mint and spices. Altogether pretty brilliant and hugely attractive. Mouth: starts on wood and spice (soft pepper, nutmeg, some aniseed and mint) but quickly regains its fruitiness, mainly oranges. Less harmonious than on the nose, but punchy and entertaining. Fades on lovely tangerines and pink grapefruit. Finish: long, rather sweet, with citrus candy and honey. Drying in the end.

Great selection by Daily Dram. I would say this is anything but a daily dram though! I’ve also tried the Whisky Agency version (sadly not directly head-to-head) and I had a slight preference for this one. Around € 200 but it will be difficult to find as I was told it was very very limited.

Score: 92/100

ps/ Yet another Longmorn 1975 cask will be bottled by Daily Dram. It will be the last cask of the series, this time with more bottles available. Keep your eyes open at the beginning of February. Other upcoming bottlings by Daily Dram: Tomatin 1976, Ardbeg 1998 and Laphroaig 1990.

Longmorn 35 yo 1975
(50,8%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2011)

Nose: holds the middle between the Daily Dram Germany and the Whisky-Fässle releases. Banana and papaya mixed with soft grassy notes, citrus and oak polish. More beehive notes and wax I would say. A slight nose prickle which seems to come more from the spices than from the alcohol. The same mint, nutmeg and soft pepper. Water makes it more citrusy in the style of the 1976 Longmorns. Mouth: very fruity (do I need to repeat the oranges, apricots and tangerines?) with a spicy kick. Honey and marmalade. On par with the Whisky-Fässle bottling, with added hints of aniseed and liquorice. Water seems to make it a little sweeter. A second wave of fruits in the aftertaste. Finish: long, spicy with lingering fruits.

This Longmorn is certainly up there and it has the advantage of being able to play around with water and bring out different elements. I still prefer the 44% bottling and it’s a little more expensive than the others: around € 200.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 (52,5%, Whisky Agency ‘Still Lifes II’ 2010, bourbon hogshead, 107 btl.)

Nose: this one starts much more old-style, with a dustiness and plenty of oily / waxy notes. Some grassy notes and hay. Less tropical than the Daily Dram Germany version, but it picks up fruity notes after breathing. Honeydew melon, peach, papaya. Vanilla. Barley sugars. Sweet almonds. Mouth: punchy, with fruity notes struggling to balance the big amount of oak spices (pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint). Pineapples with soft mocha / milk chocolate. Liquorice towards the finish. Finish: long and spicy with citrus candy.

On the nose, the expected juicy fruitiness of this Longmorn is muted by oily and grassy notes. On the palate, the oak spices are slightly overwhelming. Therefore not my favourite of the bunch. Around € 170.

Score: 88/100

Longmorn 36 yo 1975 (50,6%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, 163 btl.)

Nose: starts very fruity, with tangerine, peach, banana, papaya and some nice strawberry bubble gum notes. Quite some vanilla. Touches of wax and almonds. I’ve had a lot of these Longmorns but I’ll never get tired of them. Mouth: punchy start on fruity notes, mainly oranges and pink grapefruit. Then there’s some rather obvious oak and some drying notes of pine resin and tea. Some mint, nutmeg and aniseed. Finish: long, with the same oak / fruit theme and some herbal tea.

On the nose, those bubblegummy notes are a nice extra, but I’m afraid the oaky notes on the palate are louder than how I remember them in previous releases. Still pretty amazing how high the quality of these casks is! Around € 190.

Score: 88/100

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 (48,8%, Whisky-Fässle 2010, bourbon hogshead #2943)

Nose: more flowery than the Daily Dram version. Buttercups. Green banana. Green apple. Kiwi and citrus. Very fruity, but a more sour kind of fruitiness. A bit more grassy notes as well, due to the higher strength maybe? Soft spices in the background (pepper, eucalyptus). Mouth: very spicy and fruity, in the same league as the Daily Dram (orange, papaya, banana, passion fruit) but without the oak juice. The added strength really helps this one. Some nutmeg. Finish: quite long on liquorice.

On the nose, I think this one lacked a little juicy sweetness, although some airing took away most of the differences. On the palate, it’s clear this is the better choice for being less oaky / tired. Still available from Whisky-Fässle, around € 170.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 34yo 1976 (51,5%, Malts of Scotland 2011,
bourbon hogshead #5892, 132 btl.)

Nose: while it shares a lot of elements with the Whisky Agency bottling, this one shows much more vanilla and pastry notes. You could say the TWA version is more fresh and citric while this one is warmer. A little more tropical as well (ripe mango). Gooseberries. Interesting that both have a different character while they also share common things: a little mint, a little polished oak, a few spices… Less hints of dried grass in this one I would say. Water highlights the vanilla. Both very high quality, but personally I prefer the warmer version. Mouth: again different, with a more bourbonny character which means more wood varnish, more mint and cinnamon. A little eucalyptus again. Hints of vanilla fudge. Herbal tea in the end. Finish: long, drier than the TWA Longmorn. Otherwise quite similar, with mint and grapefruit.

This would be a difficult choice. I prefer the nose of this Malts of Scotland release, but on the palate it gets rather bourbonny. It’s quite unique and I personally don’t mind but I guess that’s not the case for everyone. It’s somewhat drier as well. Anyway no need to force a choice, both are high quality and have the same price. Around € 180.

Score: 91/100

Recently we’ve had Longmorn 1976′s bottled by Malts of Scotland and
The Whisky Agency, both very attractive. Let’s find out how this new one compares. Unfortunately at the moment I can only do a direct head-to-head with the Malts of Scotland version.

Longmorn 35 yo 1976
(53%, Thosop, bourbon barrel, 134 btl.)

Nose: very fruity and apparently more complex than the other 1976′s I’ve tried so far. Citrus, tropical fruits (kumquat, mango), gooseberries. Quite some mint and eucalyptus as well, certainly more than the MoS release. Less vanilla though, and almost none of the great pastry notes (you can’t have it all). Then a plethora of small layers in the background: soft and slightly dusty oak, hay, pepper and cinnamon. Excellent. Mouth: oily, with plenty of fruits: grapefruit, tangerine, mango. Balanced by spices (ginger, pepper) and softly resinous oak. Overall more fruity than the others. A little leather. Herbal tea (without the dryness) and hints of toffee towards the end. Finish: long and fruity, with a soft resinous / grassy edge.

On the nose, this Longmorn plays the card of freshness and complexity. The Malts of Scotland version is warmer on the nose (slightly more honeyed / marzipanny), but overall there are more layers to discover in this Thosop version.  I’m happy to give it an extra point for its wonderful balance and richness, despite the fact that I’m instantly in love with the MoS nose every time I try it. Around € 200. I’m sure it will be gone quickly.

Score: 92/100

Longmorn 32y 1976 
(53%, The Whisky Agency 2008, 120 btl.)

Nose: starts very fruity, typical for old Longmorns. Banana, pears, apple skin, some apricot and citrus. Quite some waxy notes and delicate oak. Very light coal smoke underneath. Soft vanilla. Mouth: very punchy with a nice mouthfeel. Again really fruity (banana, yellow plums, oranges, hints of Cointreau) but also a bit spicier (vanilla, herbal tea) and honeyed. The wood is much more present now. Finish: very long, probably because of the oak. Hints of cake and lots of spices (nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon).

Again a proof of Longmorn’s possibility to age well.
This whisky is anything but tired at 32 years old, although maybe a tad woody. Around € 165.

Score: 88/100

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

Longmorn 35 yo 1976
(53,6%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2011, bourbon hogshead, 187 btl.)

Nose: right. This has the same pastry and honey notes as the Malts of Scotland version. It develops on huge beehive notes, warm wax and all kinds of jams (apricot, mandarin). Papaya, overripe gooseberries and honeydew melon. Butter biscuits with almonds. Subtle mint, vanilla and cinnamon. Intensely fruity and getting warmer by the minute. Mouth: oily and thick, almost a diluted jam with a lot of warm fruity notes (ripe apricots, plums, melon), evolving to citrus notes (oranges, pink grapefruit) but overall much less citrusy than the other 1976’s. Faint leathery notes. A little cinnamon, ginger and mint, but low on plain woody notes. Finish: long, fruity and slightly mentholated. Drier notes only show in the very end.

Longmorn 1976 tends to show more citrus fruits compared to 1975 vintages. That’s not the case for this Perfect Dram: it’s very warm and fruity and the jammy / beehive / pastry notes make it exactly to my liking (and rather similar to 1972 Caperdonich in some respects).

I dare to say it’s my favourite Longmorn among all those releases of the last two years, even though they were all high quality. Around € 180 – now sold out.

Score: 94/100

Longmorn 32 yo 1976 (54,7%,
Whisky-Fässle 2008, bourbon hogshead)

Nose: starts slightly less tropical than the Thosop version. More mineral notes, more lemon as well. Oranges as the main element, although the gooseberries and apricots show up after some time. Big waxy notes. Not unlike some Clynelish. Mouth: very fresh and citrusy, plenty of tangerine and grapefruit (both pink and yellow ones). A bit of roasted maltiness as well. Not much oak and less spices than the other releases. Almond notes. Not the most complex Longmorn, but the lack of oak makes it very very enjoyable. Finish: long and citrusy with a tad more oak now.

It would be interesting to make a grid of these Longmorn 1976’s. You could order them by vanilla / honeyed notes (with the MoS leading the pack) or by tropical fruitiness (Thosop) or by waxy minerality (Whisky-Fässle). They’re all very good so in the end it comes down to your personal preferences.

Score: 90/100