Longmorn 16 Year Old

What a bottle...Glass, paper, metal, leather, wood. What about the components inside the bottle? Non-chill filtered, 16 years in oak - sherry? bourbon? Who knows. The label does not say. It is a Speysider, so I would assume some sherry cask influence.

Soft meaty rancio on the nose. I feel like this note is often in sherried whisky. It reminds me of roasted meat, specifically the Asian pork specialty, Char Siu. Spiced apples. Not bad.

Immediately hit with some bitterness on the front, and burn on the swallow. The burn is nice. The bitterness is not. Let's give it a swirl. Ouch. Severe burn on the cheeks and gum line. Long numbing sensation. Drying and bitter. As loathe as I am to do this, let's add some water. I'll be back...

Well, I don't like what water does to the nose. The original notes are there, but muted. On the other hand, the burn is gone, and I am left with a taste that I can evaluate. Wood - like sucking on a Popsicle stick. Canned lychee fruit. A bit of white dog? Not a fan.

Without water, there is a nice enough nose, but the burn is quite rough. With water, the nose is neutered, the burn is tempered, but the taste which comes through, fails to impress. Neither option is wholly satisfying.

Pasadena. Not a repeat purchase.

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