Weekend Brief: In Search of Fruit with Longmorn and Tormore

I love a good tropical fruit bomb, and I know I am not alone based on the amount of Longmorn and Ben Nevis seeking friends I have (not to mention auction prices on those whiskies). Thankfully, Glenburgie, Glen Keith, and Tormore, three other sources of potential tropical fruit treasure are less sought after and typically better priced. No distillery is 100% reliable for its tropical fruits, so hunting them down can be a bit of a gamble; sometimes Ben Nevis is earthy and funky rather than tropical, Longmorn can be herbal and nutty, Glen Keith can lean more orchard fruits… etc.

So what better way to hunt for tropical fruits than with friends; socialize that cost and share those bottles! The following are all quick reviews from a recent tasting. While our focus was supposed to be the peaty Bruichladdich Rhinns, I set off on a quest for tropical fruit…

Longmorn 24 Year (1989), SMWS 7.113 “Takes you to another Place”

NOTES: Dried fruits and plums, mostly ume candies, arrived with a touch of medicinal herbs, and herbal teas. Subtle florals mixed with new bike tires until more root beer candies developed with vanilla and cream soda. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile embraced similar themes with fruity hard candies and medicinal herbs bringing me back to cough drops, especially ume flavored. Hints of licorice and herbal shiso lingered in the background. The finish was long and fruity with ume and a kiss of salt.

SCORE: 7 (84)

IMAGE: Ume Herbal Candy Cough Drops

THOUGHTS: The port barrique finish stood out on this older Longmorn driving home rich plums and concentrated fruits. The flavors were not always complex, but they had an enjoyable richness and restrained sweetness— this never approached the candy store, despite the impression of hard candies. The herbal elements always struck me as medicinal, somewhere between a traditional Chinese medicine kiosk and a bag of Ricola.

Tormore 23 Year (1999), Single Malts of Scotland Cask 5174

NOTES: A fruit bomb detonated in the vapors with kiwis, melons, and guavas raining down. Sweeter notions of white chocolate and melon flavored kit-kats took shape with guava jelly and malty shortbread cookies. Medium-bodied and syrupy on the palate, the flavor profile was somehow even fruitier with melons and guava jelly leading to French toast dressed with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Hints of coconut and white chocolate hung around the edges, coming out more toward the end with butter, melon candies, and white gummy bears. The finish was long with tropical fruits and a touch of whipped vanilla butter and coconut syrup.

SCORE: 8 (88)

IMAGE: Tropical Brunch Special

THOUGHTS: This was divine. Loaded with juicy, syrupy fruits and a clean, clear evolution between different elements it was the epitome of a certain type of tropical fruit profile. I look for whiskies like this from Longmorn and Glenburgie, but sometimes find them from Tormore. Our host for the evening has become something of a Tormore-stan and this was one of the bottles he acquired recently. It was absolutely worth it in my opinion, as this offered such well-defined and integrated elements. Perhaps it lacked a bit of complexity, but when you do everything right, you end up with an excellent malt. Overall, beautiful stuff.

Longmorn 17 Year (2003), SMWS 7.262 “Mythical weed”

NOTES: Fruity and sweet with hints of the botanical garden, the aroma offered dried mango and tropical fruit leather, while gauva and annatto seed lingered in the background. A touch of resinous wood and butterscotch made brief appearances. Medium-bodied on the palate, the profile was honey sweet with a concentrated tropical fruit punch— like syrup for shave ice. Hawaiian Punch and sweetened condensed milk finished off the shave ice with a cream top and some sour cherries in syrup. The finish was medium to long with concentrated fruits, especially stone fruits.

SCORE: 7-8 (86)

IMAGE: Shave Ice Decadence

THOUGHTS: A striking modern Longmorn, this had all the concentrated fruitiness and sweetness I expect from the malt these days. It lacked some of the depth that one might find on the best of the direct fire era Longmorns (pre-1994), but the flavors today are sometimes clearer and more well-defined. This was very much in that modern clean style and I loved the combination of intensely tropical fruits and sweet syrupyness— it was a good reminder for why I used to have more Longmorn bottles on the shelf (and maybe I should again…)