Whisky : Longmorn 15 Year SMWS 7.226 “Japanese orange on a kotatsu”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 59.0%

Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 15 Years (Distilled 2004)

Nose :  Melona, Japanese pears, and apricot jam on one side and flaky buttery pastries on the other.  The fruits are joined with buttery toasted croissants and fried pie crust.  There is just a hint of salt and savory that compliments the fruit and pastry.

Palate : Pastries carry forward on the palate at first, a basket of almond croissants, but then buttery fruit rain from the sky.  Lilikoi butter, melona, tangerines, and cinnamon apple sauce all appear with a mild astringency.  Sweet teriyaki sauce develops near the end with a pinch of salt.

Finish : Lingering jammy grilled fruits and citrus zest.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Fried Tropical Fruit Handpie.

Something Better : Longmorn 25Y SMWS 7.219 (similar tropical fruits/complexity, more spice, less pastry)

Something Similar : Westland Reverie Fig. 1 (similar tropical fruit curd/butter & pastry, more berry/sugar)

Something Worse : Arran 14 Year (similar tropical fruit/floral profile, less complex, less finish)

Notes :  What an absolute treat— I love the pastry and fruit combination and this is the second SMWS Longmorn I have had that just hit that note perfectly.  The bit of salt that comes through near the end on the nose and the palate gave a beautiful bit of contrast to some of the sweeter notes.  One sip and I was crunching on a fried pie crust (think McDonalds if anything) stuffed with stewed tropical fruits.  It was like eating fresh hot buttery pastries in the middle of an early morning tropical fruit market— a perfectly delightful way to enjoy the day before the sun starts beating down.

What more could I say— this Longmorn was great!