Longmorn 2008 Hidden Spirits 17 yo

 

 

 

50,7°

Distillery : Longmorn - Speyside

2d Fill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Let's take a quick look at Hidden Spirits, an independent Italian bottler founded in 2013 that I am particularly fond of. Here we have a Longmorn that has spent 17 years in a second-fill bourbon barrel, which should give the distillate plenty of time to express itself. The label features a vintage bus, which is why this whisky belongs to the Glasgow Bus Series. 217 bottles are available for sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Creamy nose, thick vanilla and Italia grape pulp, white chocolate, banana purée, and various citrus fruits, lime, mandarin. Orchard fruits, Golden Smith apples and Conference pears, elegant and spicy woody notes. On the palate, it is indulgent, banana cake, brioche, vanilla icing, melted butter, subtle spices, cumin. Fairly long finish, still indulgent, honeyed, pine resin, shortbread biscuits, mint and candied fruit, malted cereals, roasted hazelnuts, a small grain of coffee. A pinch of salt. 

 

In Short, 

It is elegant and rich, well-made, delicately woody and abundantly fruity, all lovers of this profile will appreciate it. It is still available at an attractive price, but that is unlikely to last, so I suggest purchasing it now. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Ma Polaine - Been Loved Too Much

Longmorn 2013 Equinox & Solstice 11 yo

 

 

 

48,5°

Distillery : Longmorn - Speyside

1st Fill Bourbon Barrels

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Every year, in spring and autumn, we receive a new delivery of Equinox & Solstice, the most accessible range from Decadent Drinks. This is an 11-year-old Longmorn, which is the result of blending two 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels. The label features artwork by Kirsty Lorenz.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Pulpy fruits as far as the eye can see, vanilla, pineapple, papaya, mirabelle plums, melon, banana, peaches of all colours, oranges and lime. Along with this, mellow brioche, bread dough, floral and slightly mineral notes, limestone and quartz. It is airy, ethereal, luminous. On the palate, it is oily, same deluge of fruit, but more citrusy, grapefruit, lemon, slivered almonds, beeswax, salted butter fudge. Very discreet but pleasant spices. Some cereal. Very long finish, still full of fruit, but a little salty. Lemon tart, warm croissants, lychee, orange peel, floral fragrances, chalk powder, dry earth.

 

In Short, 

It's an excellent whisky, saturated with fruit and featuring subtle mineral notes. As a cask strength whisky, it would have been a masterpiece. But Decadent Drinks has so many casks that they can't reserve them all for their premium series. In any case, this one is a real success, and fans of this profile should definitely give it a try. The price is a little high, but that's okay.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Cass McCombs - Missionary Bell

Longmorn 25 yo Triple Cask Matured Batch L04

 

 

 

53,7°

Distillery : Longmorn - Speyside 

American Oak Casks, Hogsheads, Sherry Butts

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Owned by Pernod Ricard through its subsidiary Chivas Brothers, Longmorn is a discreet distillery renowned for its fruity, indulgent character. Most of its production goes into blends, but there are also a number of original bottlings, such as this one, first launched in 2019 as part of the Secret Speyside Collection range. Here we have the Batch L04, bottled in 2022 but released in 2023. After this Batch, the 25 Year Old becomes part of the Core Range, and there is no longer any particular Batch.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Pear brioche, sponge cake, christmas pudding, raisins, candied fruits, waxed noble wood, chocolate and caramel, orange peel, dates and figs. Lime, a hint of blackcurrant, wel-ripened quetsches and mirabelles. Spring freshness, forest undergrowth. On the palate, chocolate-covered blood orange slices, maple syrup and cinnamon, walnut brownie, but also grapefruit and a very slight touch of bitterness, before plunging into a long, powerful finish, raspberry coulis and braised chestnuts, liquorice and dried prunes, damp bark and floral fragrances.

 

In Short, 

A very fruity and solid Longmorn, the Sherry is not overpowering, but gives a lovely warmth to the whole and emphasises the fruit. The balance is very good. The price, however, is too high for my liking, which is a shame as this is a fine bottling.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Anneke Van Giersbergen - When I Die

Longmorn 1994 Artist #14 Rothes Glen 30 yo

 

 

 

55,9°

Distillery : Longmorn - Speyside

Refill Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

La Maison du Whisky continues with its Artist range, subtitled Rothes Glen in honour of the great architect Charles Doig, and it's now a 30-year-old Longmorn that we're dealing with. Distilled in 1994 and then aged in a Refill Hogshead, the distillate should come out very much embellished. Only 141 bottles were offered for sale, and Serge Valentin, the master of us all, rated this nectar 92. Needless to say, the bottles sold like hotcakes, despite the very high price. The label features a picture by Victor Ekpuk entitled Take Five.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Buttered toast and white fruit, pineapple, coconut, mirabelle plums, Italia grapes. An ounce of wax, resin, lacquered noble wood. Crushed banana, heather honey, dates and figs, coppery tints then a little earthy, blond tobacco, ginger. On the palate, soaked and waxy leather, thick lemon sauce, some exotic fruit in the background, then it becomes more chocolatey, even rooty. Orchard fruit, juicy pear, green apple. White peach. Rare spices. Very long, honeyed finish, resin, tobacco once again, almonds and orange peel, shortbread biscuits, egg yolk. Chestnuts.

In Short, 

It's obviously very good, but I have the impression that I'm missing something, because for me it doesn't deserve 92 at all. It's still a very good whisky, complex, fine, long on the palate, but nothing exceptional. The price, on the other hand, is exceptional, even outrageous, but that didn't stop it from being sold out at La Maison du Whisky. You can still find it on some lesser-known websites.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Heather Nova - Ghost in my Room

Longmon 25 yo The Tasteful 8 A Dream of Scotland

 

 

 

50,6°

Distillery : Longmorn - Speyside

2 Bourbon Hogsheads

Independent Bottling 

By Brühler Whiskyhaus

Limited Edition 

Single Malt

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

In 2022, Brühler Whiskyhaus released this series of 8 bottlings entitled The Tasteful 8, in reference to the Quentin Tarantino film (and if you don't know which one it is, it's time to study a little), and incorporated it into its wider range, A Dream of Scotland, which brings together all its Scottish bottlings. Among these 8 beauties, this 25-year-old Longmorn is a blend of 2 Bourbon Hogsheads, resulting in 307 bottles. It says on the label that it's Bourbon, but given the colour and flavour profile of this beauty, I think there must be a few staves of Sherry added to the Hogsheads, which wouldn't be surprising coming from a bottler with a reputation for producing very cask-driven whiskies, gorged with Sherry or wine, or even more intriguing stuff, or repulsive, depending on your taste.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Luscious nose, clementine, blood orange, red fruits, raspberries, gooseberries, slightly malty and woody, warm caramel, earthy hints in the background. Fresh tomatoes, dried figs and dates, truffle crumbs. On the palate it's more tannic, but still quite syrupy, gingerbread, pan-fried fruits, a zest of lemon and various citrus, meat sauce, maple syrup, a big nutmeg as a spice. Deep finish, damp bark, humus, cooked mushrooms, black earth, forest undergrowth, oak leaf.

 

In Short, 

A surprising product, where the Bourbon doesn't make itself felt very much, for me and for the friends who have tasted it with me, it's very Sherry. It's not annoying at all, it's a good Sherry, not too strong or sickening. The whole thing is well done, very varied and intense, I'm not sure it reflects the distillery's profile but it doesn't matter. It's not what we came here for. The release price was more than fair, but now that it's sold out everywhere, the price has gone way up and it's no longer really worth it.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           No-Man - Things Change