Whisky: Longmorn 10 Year (2010), Hart Brothers

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 56%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Butt

Age: 10 Years (Distilled Nov. 2010, Bottled Oct. 2021)

Nose: Dried fruits, brown sugar, buttery pastry, maple syrup, candied pecan, subtle herbs, jammy fruit, mellow cream.

Palate:  Medium-bodied, fruit, cream, jam, mellow tropical fruit, tobacco, herbal spice, black pepper, a hint of nuttiness.

Finish: Medium length and drying with oak and fruit.

Score: 5-6

Mental Image: Resort Pancake Bar

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was all pancake bar: melted butter, brown sugar, malty pancakes, sliced tropical fruit, maple syrup, plum preserves, strawberry basil jam, and lilikoi butter. Candied pecans arrived with a mellow polished wood, cream, and an underlying baking spice. On a medium-bodied palate, jammy fruits and a creamy viscosity led a parade of strawberry and cassis preserves, creamy butter, and hints of mango jam. Tobacco arrived with an herbal spice on the mid-palate, which turned toward black pepper and hot cinnamon at the end. Subtle nuttiness ran throughout and came on strong with water. The finish was medium-length and drying with oak and fruit.

I could not make up my find if this met my lofty expectations or fell short. It was less sherried than I expected; the cask was prevalent but not dominant. Sherry fruits and oak paired up with the lovely fruity-malty Longmorn spirit in an often complimentary fashion. The nose was delightful, especially as I love pancakes. On the downside, I found the flavor profile a tad shallow, sweet, and not as well integrated as I wanted— the spicy finish stood slightly askew from the rest of the experience.

Overall, Longmorn should be much easier to find, considering just how good it is. Chivas rarely bottles it as a single malt, and independent bottlers seem to release it in waves. It is such a great whisky, and the price that K&L offered these at ($75 in this case) is significantly lower than I would expect to find elsewhere. I am a bit split on this, I did not love it and would not go out of my way to buy it, but I would not complain if someone offered me a bottle or a dram. I thought water improved the experience and carried it up a notch.