Scotland, Speyside. Distillery operational. Owner: Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard

A blender's malt par excellence, Longmorn is considered a “Top Malt” in the Scotch whisky industry. This title, shared by just a dozen of the hundreds of distilleries spread across the Highlands including Macallan, enabled it to survive the difficulties of the 20th century in the shadow of Chivas Regal. For a long time limited to just two expressions, Longmorn 10 Year Old and Longmorn 15 Year Old, it would not be until the 21st century (2004) that its owners recognized its right to exist on the international scene as a single malt and equipped it with its own special bottlings. In the meantime, independent bottlers took to the malt. Making sherry-cask maturation its trademark, Gordon & MacPhail gave it an identity revered by and renowned amongst enthusiasts and collectors.

A Speyside single malt distilled at the Longmorn distillery, aged for at least 15 years. Bottled from the mid-1990s by Longmorn – Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. (Chivas Brothers) until 2007. One of the rare distilleries to have opted for a high degree of alcohol at the time (45% vs 40-43%). This bottling marked Longmorn’’s spectacular entry into the modern era of whisky, immediately drawing a line through the old-school practices of the 70s and 80s. Bottle equipped with a cork stopper, black foil seal and grey bottleneck label.