Speyside

Longmorn 18 Year Old Double Cask Matured

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Longmorn 18 Year Old Double Cask
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48% ABV
$108 (700 mL)
Website
Longmorn 18 Year Old Double Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Double Cask Matured
American Oak Barrels and Hogsheads
Elegant and fruity on the nose with notes of sweet pear and mango followed by creamy toffee and orange marmalade. The palate is rewarded with soft fudge and ripe juicy pear. Incredibly smooth and long finish with a touch of nutty oak.
Non Chill-Filtered

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich and thick, fruity with pears, peach cobbler, hint of mango, butterscotch, buttered biscuits, leather, pipe tobacco and brown sugar.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, fruity with honey, maple candies, peaches, pears, smoke, praline and a bit of nutmeg.
Finish:  Long and damp with citrus notes, oak and a touch of pepper.
Comments:  I love Longmorn. There, I said it, and I’m not ashamed. I have many fond memories of putting a hurting on various independent bottlings of Longmorn over the years, made better given the company (but don’t get me wrong – these were some stellar bottles. This is a distillery bottling, and might be the first that I’ve had – so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Not sure why – it’s freaking delicious – and ridiculously good given the price. Even with shipping to the states (which I despise paying for), this one would easily be worth it. A bit of water brings out more tropical fruit notes on the nose, and tamps the smoke on the palate bring the peaches to the forefront. I only added water to see what would happen, and was rewarded by watching it cloud up nicely. This is a delightful dram neat though.

Rating: Must Buy

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Strathisla 1998 17 Year Old Distillery Reserve Collection

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Strathisla 1998 17 Year Old Distillery Reserve Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

57.9% ABV
$220
Website
Strathisla 1998 17 Year Old Distillery Reserve Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

The Distillery Reserve Collection is a limited release of rare and exceptional whiskies from Chivas Brothers single malt whisky distilleries. Each release is bottled at cask strength.

Aged 17 Years
Distilled: 12th January 1998
Bottled: 30th July 2015
Cask Nos: 4330-31, 4336-37
1 of 1632 bottles
50cL

What Gary Says

Nose:  Subtle vanilla, barley malt, buttered popcorn, pears, hint of cinnamon and a subtle mineral note.
Palate:  Warm and viscous, fruity but tart with unripe pears and a hint of banana.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with honey, a note of stout and pepper.
Comments:  Subdued and very muted overall. If handed for a blind tasting, I think I would have guessed this to be a single grain whisky. There isn’t anything off putting or negative, just not very exciting. A bit of water brings out more citrus on the nose, as well as heather, and tamps down the tartness on the palate.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Linkwood 1996 22 Year Old

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Linkwood 1996 22 Year Old
Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

54.8% ABV
$240
Website
Linkwood 22 Year Old, 1996 Cask Strength by Signatory Vintage

What the Bottler Says

AGED: 22 years
DISTILLED ON: October 30 1996
BOTTLED ON: May 29 2019
MATURED IN: Hogshead
CASK NO: 8730
BOTTLE NO: 24 of 192
NATURAL COLOUR

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, honey, mixed nuts, fruit salad with mandarin orange slices, oak, bit of a mineral earthy note.
Palate:  Fruity with green apples, not-quite-ripe pears, peaches, grapefruit, sharpens with tonic, cinnamon and pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long, dry with tonic, honey and citrus.
Comments:  The nose has a hint like it ‘might be peat’ but not quite (and to be clear, this isn’t a peated whisky). Astringent and bitter despite the fruit notes, reminds me a bit of a hard cider. A bit of water only slightly dampens this edge, and a bit more thins it out, so go easy with the water on this one. Not particularly in my wheelhouse.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Longmorn 2002 18 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 2002 18 Year
Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

58.8% ABV
$120
Website
Longmorn 18 Yr Signatory

What the Bottler Says

AGED: 18 years
DISTILLED ON: September 17 2002
BOTTLE ON: October 21 2020
MATURED IN: Bourbon Barrel
CASK NO: 800626
BOTTLE NO: 204 of 220
NATURAL COLOUR

What Gary Says

Nose:  Heather, honey suckle, peaches, marzipan, hint of caramel, oak, and sponge cake.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, honey, fruity with peaches and baked pears, subtle kiwi notes and a bit of pepper and toffee.
Finish:  Long, drying with honey, fruit and milk chocolate.
Comments:  Yep, it’s official – I love Longmorn. I’ve only reviewed one other Longmorn, although I’ve tried several independent bottlings and don’t recall any being less than “really good”. This particular dram takes water well, retaining the thick mouthfeel and bringing out more peaches and pears on the nose. I really dig those tropical fruit notes of kiwi that come through.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 50
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

59.6% ABV
$90-$100
Website
Aberlour A’bunadh Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Sherried & Intense
Meaning ‘the original’ in Gaelic, A’bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming. A’bunadh is a whisky hand-made from start to finish with each batch being created to ensure a rich and complex flavour of moist raisin, and homemade fruit cake. It is bottled at cask strength resulting in a robust and deeply intense, sherried whisky.

Colour: Auburn gold
Nose: Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry
Palate: Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with Sherry and Oak. Full bodied and creamy
Finish: Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, dark fruits with raisins, dates, stewed prunes, earthy Portobello mushrooms and wood polish, cocoa, caramel, grilled peaches, anise, smoked brisket and a hint of spent matches.
Palate:  Rich and intense with a thick mouthfeel, fruit explosion with prunes, raisins, pears, cherries, cinnamon red hots, anise, molasses and pepper.
Finish:  Long, syrupy thick with a cherry cough syrup note (but in a good way).
Comments:  Wow – Aberlour isn’t one of my favorite distilleries to be honest, as I usually get more than a hint of sulfur and spent matchsticks (which just aren’t my thing, but your mileage may vary). But this one is fantastic! Here that sulfur note is subtle, although some water brings it out a bit more, as well as amping up the anise (if I close my eyes, definitely get a black licorice vibe). This is a super dark dram. Do I wish it were age-stated? Yes – if only for the transparency; but based on what is in the bottle, this is delicious. I could give two sh!ts if they threw a splash of 3 year old in the batch (not suggesting they did!) Based on the intensity and complexity of flavors, and balance between the sweet and spicy notes, this is a damn nice pour!  So nice that in fact the first A’bunadh I ran across after trying this (a batch 64) I grabbed.  Also delicious, and pretty similar (just a tad lighter in color, and a bit less anise; I really like both although thought the nose on this one might be a tad more complex – but really splitting hairs).

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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