Whisky: Longmorn 22 Year (1998), Edition Spirits “The First Edition”

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 57.5%

Cask: Refill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 22 Years (Distilled 1998, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Fruity, herbal, and creamy. The aroma left me adrift between notes of grilled watermelon and tropical fruit syrups— shave ice lathered in lychee, guava, strawberry, and creamy condensed milk. Creamy notes hinted at a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center, while dried mango, apricots, and fruit butter promised roadside snacks. Herbal and woody undercurrents shifted behind the fruit with dried grass, bamboo furniture, and the mellow salty minerality of limestone tide pools.

Palate: Medium-bodied and bursting with syrupy tropical fruits— lychee and guava danced on the palate with hints of salty li hing mui and sweet vanilla cream. Coconut, mandarin oranges, and a touch of sweet chilis carried through with a subtle herbal undercurrent. Tropical fruit and wood again on the finish with buttery shortbread and sweetened condensed milk. A few drops of water accentuated the fruit on the finish and pushed up some of the drying, slightly bitter, woody notes on the finish.

Finish: Lingering notes of tropical fruits and coconut.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Shave Ice for Breakfast

Notes: Wow! Now, this is what I want when I pour a Longmorn— fragrant tropical memories on the nose, tropical fruits with hints of pastries and butter on the palate, and a long finish that brings it all together. I adored a 25-Year Longmorn from SMWS a couple of years back codenamed “Everlasting Tropical Lovesauce.”  That was my first Longmorn, and I have been chasing that tropical high ever since. I have gotten close a few times in the past, and I have come to appreciate the occasionally herbal and nutty side of Longmorn as well.

This was a tropical delight with a lovely oily body and a long-lasting finish. It did not need any water, and I agreed with a comment on Whiskybase that water accentuated some of the bitter wood on the finish— it was better straight up. The dram was a bit simple at times; I wished there was more structure and more transition between different layers of flavor, but overall, a beautiful tropical Longmorn and precisely what I was hoping for.

Image Credit: Whiskybase