Longmorn 22 (1992) Liquid Sun

Review by: Raygun

This comes from the last year of direct firing at Longmorn. Haven’t had too many Longmorns at all, and never a direct-fired one. I don’t know a whole lot about Liquid Sun either, other than that it’s a German bottler. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Longmorn 

Bottler: Liquid Sun   

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 52.9%. Cask strength.  

Age: 22 years. Distilled in 1992, bottled in 2014. 

Cask type: Refill hogshead

Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Definite florals, with a buttery brioche aroma. Apples, puff pastry, cardamom.   

Palate: A surprising juiciness, which wasn’t evident from the nose. Apples, kiwi, orange, and pineapple. Brioche. I don’t recall this buttery flavor in Longmorn before. Nice vibrancy to it. Great warm-weather pour.   

Finish: More floral and not as juicy. More like fruit candy here. Cardamom is back. Cake frosting. Less oak than the age would suggest. 

Conclusion: Yum. That’s my summary. Great bourbon-aged Scotch here. Would be nice to compare with some newer Longmorn, which I recall as a little lighter and missing this fatty kind of texture. This would be a great pour for relaxing on the porch now that it’s getting warmer. Has a very summery feel to it with the fruit flavors. Very enjoyable top to bottom. 

Buy a bottle? This is right in my wheelhouse. But it will be hard to find.    

Score: 86

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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