The grand finale!

After the first year I thought the last dram would be a rather spectacular one. Back then it was a rather spectacular Convalmore by Old Malt Cask. Last year I expected the last one to be the highlight of the tasting competition as well, but it wasn’t. A Speyburn that was okay, but not stellar.

This year I was hoping for something on the level of the first time around. And since I went with my more analytical style of tasting, which I should have done from the get-go, I was hoping to make good on some points.

A great Longmorn 23 by WIN. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
At first I’m not sure whether this is a bourbon cask or not. It’s pretty strong on the nostrils so that doesn’t really help assessing. Fairly dry with a lot of baking spices. Wood spices and even some ground acorns. Grilled peach with a little blackened edge comes to mind. I’m going for a sherry cask by the way.

Sip:
Dry and strong, but not too hot on the tongue. There’s some heat on the palate, but nothing overpowering. The dry, and slightly bitter, has more impact. I get red cinnamon, ginger and quite some oaky spices. The sweetness kicks in later, again with the peaches.

Swallow:
The finish shows some oak, and for some reason I have the feeling it’s American. Still sherried, but maybe a finish or an American oak sherry cask, nothing out of the ordinary. The spices are toned down a bit, as is the bitterness. The sweetness is more prominent but very tasty. Not too long on the sweetness, but the lessened dryness lasts quite a while.

So, trying to analyze away here. I’m thinking the ABV is around 52% or 53%. The rather extreme spiciness sends me towards the Highlands or Speyside, but that’s as good a guess as any. Distillery character? No clue. Could be anything I guess. Going for… Uhm… Caperdonich. Gambling the last possible points on the Tony Koehl edition. No clue why. I’m not familiar with Caperdonich from the 90s.

It turned out to be a Longmorn released by Whisky Import Nederland. At 23 years old this sold for under € 100 back then. Unfortunately I am not often in a position in which I can buy bottles without having tasted them first but I really, really regret that with this one. I wish I bought a case of these babies since it is a truly stellar whisky.

Everything is right, from the sweetness to the bitterness, the oak, the spices, and its wintry feel. Bummer, but at I scored some points! 10 for age, 20 for region and 16 for being close on the ABV!

Longmorn 23, 52.6%, 1988-2012, Whisky Import Nederland. Available in Italy for € 275