Longmorn 18 Years Old 1995 Cask Strength Edition (53.1%, OB, 2013)

• 53.1% ABV,
• £49.50
• Score: 87/100

What they say:

Chivas Brothers

Cask Strength Edition, Non chill-filtered, Speyside single malt scotch whisky

The Cask Strength Edition range of Highland and Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from Chivas Brothers have been bottle din limited quantities. Included in the range are The Glenlivet, Strathisla, Scapa, Glenburgie, Longmorn and Miltonduff. These fine Scotch whiskies are uniquely available at the Distillery Visitor Centres and are bottled at their natural cask strength.

Longmorn 18 Years Old

Founded in 1894, the Longmorn Distillery produced a classic Speyside malt that has been much prized by Blenders and admired by connoisseurs for decades. Rich floral flavours combine with the fruitiness of pear drops & barley sugar, and the sweetness of milk chocolate & candy floss. Incredibly smooth with a long sweet finish.

What we say:

Following the discovery that Paula was starting to get a taste for Longmorn and it was rapidly becoming her favourite distillery, I set about looking for something a little special. We recently had the chance to sample the Longmorn 18 year old at a WoLS tasting centred around the journey of Masataka Taketsuru. On that occasion it was an 18 year old Longmorn-Glenlivet bottled by Wm Cadenheads. I had spotted the Chivas Brothers releases when they came out, mostly because Royal Mile Whiskies were pushing the Scapa as a particularly fine example. By this time however many places had sold out of the Longmorn 18 cask strength release, until I spotted it at Whisky Galore (@ the Green Welly Stop). The price was right too!

Colour:

Reddish gold

Nose:

Pear drops, rose petals, sweet pollen, woody oak, toffee fudge, with a little water this became fresher and zestier with bushels of citrusy lemons

Taste:

Sweet and bitter, vaporous in the mouth, fruity lemons and roses, Turkish delight, barley sugar sweets, mellow and smooth, with water more of the perfumed, floral elements are revealed

Finish:

Warming and sweet, zesty citrus lemon barley sugars, a little water makes this smoother and gentler, giving an almost creamy finish

Would we buy it again:

A simply stunning expression from Chivas Brothers, this is a perfect example of an aged Longmorn. Their new #1 fan approves and so do I. I hope they continue to release these cask strength editions as they are truly spectacular and well worth the money! We await future releases with baited breath…