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Longmorn SMWS 7.77 - Elegant ladies taking tea

Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson

0 191

@talexanderReview by @talexander

10th Jun 2014

0

  • Nose
    23
  • Taste
    24
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    91

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Here in Ontario, it is difficult to find the now-standard offering from this distillery, the 16 Year Old. Priced at CDN$100, to my mind it doesn't really offer value for money (I'm not a huge fan). However, this distillery is loved by many a connoisseur. Founded in 1894 by three partners, it is just south of Elgin occupying the site of an old chapel (Longmorn means "Place of the holy man" in Gaelic). One of the partners, John Duff, bought out the other two and also built Benraich next door (I drove past both quite often on my first trip to Scotland, though I never visited them). Beloved by blenders, and once owned by Seagram, Longmorn is now owned by Chivas Bros. Their standard used to be the 15 Year Old, now mourned due to the 16 Year Old replacing it.

This spirit was distilled on February 26, 1990 and matured for 22 years in a refill ex-bourbon barrel, yielding 203 bottles. Like all SMWS bottlings, it is cask strength, single cask, non-coloured and non-chill-filtered.

The colour is a light honey. On the nose, beautiful barley sugar, light vanilla, mint and eucalyptus. Perfumy, but in a good way - not too strong (no FWP here). The slightest hint of tobacco ash and milk chocolate - very interesting (which I vaguely remember from the 16 Year Old, a greatly inferior offering). Very subtle for such a high proof. Water brings the tobacco notes forward a little, but not much; and otherwise dilutes things.

On the palate - silky smooth. There's that light vanilla again. Some toffee and marzipan, plus it tastes a little perfumy (if that makes any sense at all??) A hint of raspberry. Delicious but quite different from the nose. Unlike the nose, water helps things here: creamier, fruitier (a bit of apple) and more herbal.

The finish is creamy, buttery and fairly long. Not complex here, though, but no matter: there is a lot to explore otherwise in what is delicate, creamy, slightly sweet but eventually robust. Just like old broads guzzling tea.

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1 comments

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@talexander, I can see the 'elegant ladies' sipping from fine china, pinky poised at just the correct angle, and becoming increasingly content as the fill level of the SMWS 'triple seven' declines....sounds like my cup 'o tea.

9 years ago 0

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