Review by: Raygun

Aged over ten years in a first-fill sherry butt. Bottled by Hart Brothers for K&L. Not much experience with Longmorn; only reviewed one before. Not much experience with Hart Brothers either, come to think of it. This was my third or fourth from them. Rested about 10 minutes. Reviewed from a sample.

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Distillery: Longmorn

Bottler: Hart Brothers

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 56%. Cask strength

Age: 10 years. Distilled in November 2010. Bottled in October 2021

Cask type: First-fill sherry butt.

Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: ??

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Nose: Nice and malty. The sherry shows mainly as musty basement, even a little weed sort of dankness. Get a little pear, plum, and milk chocolate. Feels rather closed even with rest.

Palate: Huh, much more vibrant than I expected from the nose. The malt is still strong, but a lot more fruit comes out. Some peach, grapefruit, and Asian pear. Starburst candies even more than fresh fruit. Gets a little richer and more tannic with water, and it helps file off the sharp edges.

Finish: Caramel drizzled over vanilla ice cream. This is about the least sherried sherry cask I’ve ever had. I do get some plum and Asian pear, but it’s pretty bright rather than the more usual dried fruit. White chocolate. Mild sherry mustiness.

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Conclusion: Wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was a pleasant surprise. Not very heavily sherried and it let some interesting characteristics come out. Nice fruitiness to it. Makes me curious what a bourbon cask Longmorn would be like. It is a little spirity and the youth is apparent. It’s not a world-beater or anything, but this is solid.

Buy a bottle? $75 at K&L. I’d grab one if I were in California.

Final Score: 79

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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)