K&L Exclusive: Extremely Rare 10-Year-Old Speysider – Scotch Whisky News
An Absolute Rarity in 10-Year Scotch and an Unbeatable Steal
Longmorn 10 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($74.99)
“This is nearly the perfect Speysider for me. … There isn’t a better $75 malt on the market today in my humble estimation.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer
Our recent haul of exclusive casks from Scotland has delivered us some truly wonderful whiskies, but this thrilling, 10-year-old Speyside unicorn from the beloved Longmorn distillery might just take the cake so far. First, we can’t overstate how difficult it’s been to source this distillery on the independent market, so even at a “mere” 10-year age statement, we’re dealing with true rarity. Moving to the actual quality of the spirit, it’s a jaw-dropping expression in its category that “exemplifies the dichotomy of elegance and complexity that the region’s best malts are known for,” as spirits buyer David Othenin-Girard puts it. The first-fill sherry butt will no doubt thrill fans of the style, as “it’s perfectly matched to the medium body of Longmorn’s profile,” according to David’s colleague Andrew Whiteley. Finally, factor in the unbelievable price, and we have a legitimate contender for whisky buy of the year. As part of the Chivas stable, Longmorn plays a critical role in the blended whiskies of that giant brand, but any serious aficionado knows that when the chance comes along to experience this malt in its pure, singular form, it’s not to be missed.
K&L Notes: Even at this young age, a cask of Longmorn is a real rarity. Arguably the crown jewel of the Chivas portfolio, this wonderful distillery was once rather plentiful on the independent bottlers market. Gordon & MacPhail has been the most prolific bottler of this special distillery, likely owing to the fact that they still own the original trademark for the label, but in the last 10 years we’ve seen very little. Located outside the city of Elgin and a stone’s throw from their rival BenRiach, we only see the occasional distillery release stateside. The distillery was built in 1894 and just barely survived the subsequent crash in the whisky market. It likely owed its survival to immediate interest in the quality from blenders. It has four pairs of onion-shaped stills that produce a pure and complex spirit with great texture. Add an excellent sherry butt and you’ve got one of the deals of the year here. One of the most approachable and overtly enjoyable whiskies in the store at any price or age. This whisky was bottled without coloring or chill-filtration at an ABV of 56%.
David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022
I love Longmorn, and I’m always surprised how difficult it is to get. I guess Chivas is aware of how dang good this stuff is, and you just can’t make that much blended scotch without the stuffing from these gems. So anyway, we jumped on the chance to own a cask of Longmorn, and we’re all the more excited to see it was aged in sherry cask. Now this sherry cask isn’t very dark, but my god it has a ton of character—indeed, color and character are not always correlated. The color is pale gold. This one pops immediately with a huge apple orchard fruit character. It’s so pungent it can’t only be the fruit of the malt at this age, but rather that gorgeous, high-quality sherry coming through. After that we get a big vanilla bean, wild honey, candied citrus peel, honeydew, and a bit of candle wax. On the palate, it’s very rich and oily. More apricot and honey, but also now some earthy malt and hints of fragrant heather. With water the nose becomes darker and maltier, which is very unusual and welcome. A bit more sherry funk comes out as well, losing its absolutely pristine nose in favor of even more intensity. The palate is downright thick now, a strange trick of water and whisky, where by the perceived density increases despite the obvious physical fact that you’ve diluted the product. Absolutely unparalleled vibrancy adds to the picture with countless fruit and botanical aromas flowing freely now. This is nearly the perfect Speysider for me. It exemplifies the dichotomy of elegance and complexity that the region’s best malts exhibit. There isn’t a better $75 malt on the market today in my humble estimation. For those who want elegance and depth over power and punch, this is the real deal.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022
We rarely get to bottle Longmorn these days. While the world loves to talk about single malt, the fact is blends are still king, and Longmorn has been prized for over 100 years as a top-notch ingredient to add the stuffing to famous blends, from VAT 69 to Dewar’s and Chivas. In fact, due to its quality, Longmorn was one of the distilleries Nikka’s Masataka Taketsuru did a stint at in his legendary visit to Scotland. For years, you could find Longmorn without looking too hard at the independent bottling market, but it seems less and less is available today, certainly at reasonable prices. Official bottlings are hardly to be found, although they do exist. Fortunately for us, the Hart Brothers were able to come up with a first-filled sherry butt of 10-year-old Longmorn that checked all of our boxes. Bottled just shy of 11 years and with a beautiful golden amber hue, this famous malt offers a bushel of stone fruits and a full peck of apples, both fresh and baked. The slightest rancio notes sit behind all that fruit provided from a quality sherry butt. While not a bomb or wildly dark, it is listed as a first-fill butt, and frankly, it’s perfectly matched to the medium body of Longmorn’s profile. A warm and soft waxy character runs throughout, giving this a lovely texture and confirming the distillery’s critical role in the blending world. At 56% ABV it’s no slouch. With a little water, it almost louches so much oil comes out. The palate gets sweeter, and the texture is elegant and silky. The finish shows a dry tannin like the best red wines yet doesn’t lose that beautiful fruit from the first nosing. It’s a splendid cask and a screaming deal in the burning hot whisky market.
