11/10/2024 Longmorn

Longmorn Centenary 25yo (45%, OB, b.1994): nose: it feels rather shy, today, antique mahogany furniture and wooden salad dishes, more than anything. That is soon joined by Fino sherry and a relish of some sort, too subtle to be onion, not sweet enough to be fig. Deeper inhaling decodes the enigma: it is candied orange rinds. That then unlocks a bolder fruitiness, with lychee and rambutan, as well as unripe carambola. Say, this is turning rather appealing, is it not? Next up is the freshness of mint paste, then smashed persimmon, leaves and all, and pink grapefruit. I want to say pink-grapefruit-scented washing-up liquid, but firstly, it is not soapy, and secondly, it is not a Benriach. Come to think of it, when this was distilled, Longmorn and Benriach were operating in tandem... Over time, a gentle flowery fragrance takes off too: magnolia, chamomile, purple primrose. The whole remains subdued, certainly not a boisterous young lad. The second nose has gorgeous, spongy pandoro. It is spongy to the point of juiciness. Wait! Scratch that: raisins do appear for a panettone-like experience. Crusty white bread just out of the oven (oooh!), warm brioche, in that sweet golden spot that most bakers miss (overdone brioche is not so nice), and unsweetened apricot turnovers. Later yet, we have cucumber peelings floating in peach nectar. Last, but not least, pomelo zest is sprinkled on top of it all. Mouth: it has a vaguely-green acidic attack, closer to pomelo than to lime, and it is a trifle leafy, perhaps -- citrus foliage, you know. The most-modest chewing reveals a generous fruitiness, however: lime zest, pomelo segments, unripe kumquat, bergamot, sudachi. For full transparency, it also presents a drop of shampoo, similar enough to the citrus that it is easily overlooked. At the second sip, the afore-mentioned acidity becomes a near-plastic-y taste, closer to oilskin than fruit. Oh! it works well; it is simply quite different. Movement in the mouth brings up yellow maracuja, yuzu, satsuma, calamansi, and a lick of a yellow rubber glove used to zest lemons. Reads weird? Tastes great! Finish: a fruity custard topped with crushed mint crumbles. It is a long, comfortable finish, warming, not big, that leaves the tongue all silky from the milky texture (lukewarm vanilla milkshake, to be precise). The second gulp pushes forward a greater fruity acidity. We have smashed papaya, pineapple chunks, persimmon, fleshy peach. It is still as milky, with a nuance of burnt sugar in the far back, and growing pink grapefruit, towards the death. I thought it was less impressive at first sip, but it is a masterpiece that grows on you. All the same, maybe it is the circumstances, maybe it is the consequence of spending ten years in an open bottle, but I am less floored by it than previously. Phantastic whisky all the same. 9/10