This Longmorn 2002 from Signatory Vintage is the last of the trio single malts that have been specially bottled for The Whisky Exchange. We already had a lovely but atypical Mortlach and a very nice Glenlivet sherry bomb, both special in their own way. So I wonder if this Longmorn, which at 17 years old is also the oldest of the three, turns out to be just as surprising as the other two.

Longmorn has been around for many years (since 1894) and has been a favorite whiskey for blenders from the very beginning. In the old days it was a component for VAT 69 and Dewar’s, among others. Today it is a major component of the Chivas Regal blends. Only in 1993 was their first single malt released, a 15 year old, which was replaced by a 16 year old since 2007. The current series consists of three single malts, but to date I have never tasted any of them. Somehow those official releases never really appealed to me and I personally lean more towards the indie bottlings of Longmorn. But who knows, maybe someday I will also give the official bottlings a try. 😉

This Longmorn has matured in a bourbon barrel and is bottled at 56.2% ABV. Cask no. 800638.

Longmorn 2002 tasting notes:

Nose: quite light, fresh and fruity. Fresh mandarins, but also lemons, this combination reminds me of minneolas actually. Then vanilla. Green grapes and green apples. Minty leaves and nettles. A chalk note. With water: Unripe Conference pears.

Taste: Green grapes, green apples and green bananas. And quite some vegetal notes, with mainly nettles and a hint of spearmint. A gin-tonic note too. Then nougat and creme brulee. And a pinch of black pepper towards the end.

Finish: long. A hint of black pepper and vanilla. Nougat. Nettles and spearmint.

A very fruity single malt, which in some ways reminds me more of spring than the colder days of autumn. It is quite focused on green fruit and has a certain freshness to it. A nice well-balanced dram, but perhaps just a bit too green and fresh for me now.

Sample provided by The Whisky Exchange.