Longmorn 14 Year Old 1996 A D Rattray

This is (bar the Carn Mor Vintage Collection release) the youngest Longmorn I’ve tried so far. It matured for 14 years on a bourbon cask that yielded 304 bottles. It is very pale, which makes me wonder if it was a refill cask.

The nose is sweet on apple, lemon, peach and fresh grass or hay. Quite mineraly, too. Turkish delight in the hay-loft. Make sense? A bit oily as well. Sprinkled with mint and cinnamon. It needs some hand warmth to open up fully.

The attack is quite bold and again oily. Peach plays first fiddle, but is immediately joined by other (white) fruit. Lightly peppered. A touch bitter from the oak, but not out of balance. On the contrary. Sweeter than the nose, thanks to a jar of honey that would make Winnie the Pooh drool.

The finish is medium in length, where the sweetness loses the battle with the oak. Ends on a bitter, waxy note.

This is the sort of dram that can lighten up your summer day. So best put this one aside a bit, as the weather man just announced another dreary day.

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