Whisky: Longmorn 17 Year (1991), Chivas Bros. Cask Strength Edition

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 52.5%

Cask: Oak

Age: 17 Years (Distilled 1991, Bottled 2009)

Nose: Citrusy and floral, tropical, shortbread cookies, mango and coconut, hibiscus, earthy and slightly metallic with time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, peppery, woody, a touch spirited, mellow tropical fruits, shortbread cookies, earthy and woody with hints of cocoa.

Finish: Medium-length with wood, subtle fruit, and dry earth.

Score: 5-6

Mental Image: Apprentice to the Rattan Master

Narrative & Notes: The aroma tacked between sweet citrus and tropical floral notes with mellow orange, passionfruit, and pineapple shortbread cookies. Chunks of chilled mango and coconut mixed with plumeria, hibiscus, and hints of jasmine as the aroma took an earthier turn with hints of coffee grounds, graphite, and iron-rich red dirt. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was initially peppery as a touch of spirited prickled danced across the palate and left wood-shop notes of rattan, bamboo, and sawdust. Mellow tropical fruits followed as pineapple and coffee shortbread, guava candies, lemons, and a slightly metallic passionfruit. Earth and wood lingered at the end with a hint of cocoa. The finish was medium-length with wood, subtle fruit, and dry earth.

Gosh, the nose of this Longmorn was just about everything I hoped and wanted it to be: distinctly fruity and tropical with hints of buttery shortbread. But what happened after I took a sip? The fruit was barely there; instead, a bright black pepper and spirit burst across the palate, leaving woody wreckage in its wake. The palate and aroma were not totally divorced, but everything I loved on the nose fell into the background of a strikingly woody-grassy palate. A few drops of water faded the woodsy vibes so that more fruit came forward, but it was never the tropical floral, fruit, and pastry spread I expected after the nose.

Look, this was not bad, and I would happily sit back and relax with a dram like this. Still, I really wanted more from an early nineties cask strength Longmorn, especially from a single cask specifically selected from the Chivas Brothers inventory to be bottled and not just blended away.

Image Credit: Whiskybase