This vintage Longmorn has no entry on whiskybase and I could not tell you where my buddy got it from— though I am happy he shared a few drams of it. The bottler here was Malcolm Pride Ltd., who seem to have only released a few dozen whiskies during the early 2000s, perhaps taking advantage of the bargain prices for casks at the time.

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Whisky: Longmorn 31 Year (1975), Premier Malts Cask 3966

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 43%

Cask: Oak

Age: 31 Years (Distilled 26 March 1975, Bottled Aug. 2006)

Notes: Mango and guava, nearly ripe and ready to eat, arrived with the dusty earth of a hiking trail into the mountains. Benches and musty banyan tree undergrowth lingered further in with vanilla, eucalyptus, and fresh cotton bandages. Motor oil and dirty rags paired with dried herbal spice as peppery parsley and a touch of oregano appeared. Light-bodied the flavors still popped on the palate after nearly twenty years in the bottle: ginger and citrusy sodas sat with a wooden bench— a break from our hike. Fallen unripe tropical fruits, mostly guava, lay on the dusty trail as more peppery oak asserted itself. A touch of mint emerged from the background with shifting tobacco, motor oil, and muscle rub notes— was it a smoke break or time for Salonpas? The finish was medium-length with earth, fruit, and weathered oak.

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Score: 7+ (86)

Mental Image: Ridge Trails in the Afternoon

Conclusion: I was split on this one and never quite decided whether it was good or great. I enjoyed elements, especially the complexity and evolution of the aroma, but on the palate it felt a bit weak at times. It is not every day I get to pour a 1970s Longmorn, in fact it has only happened twice in my life, so I am not sure how much I am getting caught up in the romance of the dram (either letting it off easy, or being too critical). 

Overall, this was an old-fashioned and subtle affair, unlike the fruit bombs or dry herbal-nutty whiskies that I associate with Longmorn in the 90s and early 2000s— while I never came around enough to put this firmly in the ‘great category,’ there is no doubt that I would prefer to see more whiskies like this— even if I would prefer them a tick or two more intense.

Image Credit: The Single Cask who have bottled many a fine Longmorn, just not this one.