Review #123: Longmorn 26yr bottled 2013, Cadenhead Small Batch, 49.5%, Bourbon Hogsheads, 402 bottles

this one's a little pricey

It wasn't too long ago that there were a lot of (good) 1992 Longmorns running around for cheap; now the going rate on late-80's Speyside whisky is almost $200. (And the Longmorn OB is both expensive and dull.) Oh well. This is from Cadenhead's "Small Batch" line, in which "Cadenhead" receives no apostrophe; it is probably from a couple of bourbon hogsheads distilled in 1987, but nothing on the label gives that away. The label does call the distillery "Longmorn-Glenlivet," probably because that's what it said on the barrels. It's a little reminder of how recently "Glenlivet" practically meant "Speyside" and everyone used it in their distillery name.

Nose: very juicy fruit: cider apples and pears yes, but also maybe some strawberries. Plus some straw and crushed leaves. Lots of malt. There's still a little sharp herbaceousness, but at the same time some ultra-mature flowers and candy (both the fruit-drop kind and the buttery kind) and perfume -- very nice together.

Palate: again the herbaceousness, but then a blast of apples and a couple greengages, some buttery toffee and some drying oak. This strikes me as about what I'd expect from Longmorn. Compared to the nose, this was a little pedestrian, but the dryness gives it a nice body.

Finish: long but not terribly distinct: oaky and slightly peppery on top of the apples and the toffee.


Extraordinary nose, and then turns back into a typical Longmorn. Typical Longmorn is still pretty good.


score: 88