Inbox | The Week's Whisky News | February 2, 2024

Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Review / Longmorn 23 years old

This whisky forms part of The Secret Speyside Collection from Chivas Brothers, a 15-strong selection of single malts from the company's lesser known Speyside distilleries. Four distilleries feature in the collection - Braes of Glenlivet, Glen Keith and Longmorn are all currently in production but have much of their production allocated for the company's extensive range of blended whiskies. The fourth is Caperdonich, which has been closed since 2002 and is now demolished. There are three Longmorn expressions in the collection - this 23 years old, plus other age statements at 18 and 25 years old (this is bottled at the cask strength of 52.2% ABV). All are non chill-filtered and of natural colour. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 2, 2019)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Longmorn The Distiller's Choice, 16 years old & 23 years old

These three whiskies form the first permanent range from the cult Speyside distillery of Longmorn, which is regarded as one of the 'best kept secrets' of the Scotch whisky industry.  The Distiller's Choice, which was released earlier this year, is joined by a re-invented version of the 16 years old and a new 23 years old expression. The three whiskies have been created by Trevor Buckley, the Distillery Manager at Longmorn, and they are designed for the premium single malt drinker.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 14, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (January 22, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Have just tried - Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel

Using the government’s alcohol duty rise as a pathetic excuse to buy some more whisky (I persuaded myself I’d be saving money in the long run if I bought a few bottles before the rise!) I decided to purchase a whisky I’d had my eye on for a while. The Yamazaki Bourbon Barrel represents the latest in a number of limited whiskies Suntory release every now and then that, to date, have included heavily peated and sherry puncheon matured expressions.

Located at the foot of a mountain in a bamboo forest just outside Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto, Yamazaki distillery was founded by Shinjiro Torii in 1923. It was his ambition to make a Japanese whisky along the same lines as the Scottish whiskies that were very popular at the time. To this end he despatched his able assistant Masataka Taketsuru to Scotland to learn everything there is to know about making Scotch whisky.

Taketsuru’s time in Scotland makes for an amazing story. In 1918 he turned up alone in Scotland, determined to learn the art of brewing and distilling. A very brave thing to do at a time when people travelled such shorter distances than they do now. Britain must have seemed like a completely different world to him. He enrolled at Glasgow University and at one point travelled up to Elgin in the hope for learning first hand the skills needed for Suntory to start distilling whisky. It was at Longmorn distillery that he found someone willing to take him on and show him the ropes. His course at Glasgow also enabled him to work at Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. During all this he also found time to fall in love and get hitched to his landlady's daughter.

Job done, on returning to Japan with his new wife, Taketsuru’s newfound skills and knowledge were instrumental in founding Yamazaki - Japans first single malt distillery. Soon afterwards, he left Suntory to start Japan’s other major whisky company, Nikka.

This Yamazaki was released in 2011 along side a Bourbon Barrel matured expression from its sister distillery Hakushu and is bottled at a generous 48.5% from first fill bourbon barrels.

Our tasting notes
On first nosing there are lots of cereal notes - shredded wheat, malting floors, Japanese tea, mashed potatoes, Rusks. Along side all this there’s also a nice sweet citrus fruit aroma lending a nice balance, a bit like lime cordial and chocolate limes. After a while it gets fruitier and sweeter with a little breathing with aromas of apples, pears, bananas, cherries, refresher sweets, custard powder and milk chocolate.

On the palate, there’s some lovely big first fill bourbon barrel flavours. Starting with some sweet and fruity flavours - Banoffee pie, white chocolate, bubblegum, Belgian tripel beer. The palate gradually gets a little more bitter, oaky and hot with pepper and cloves. The finish is long and tannic with a nice bittersweet blackberry note. Excellently balanced. Lots of estery flavours of fruits and sweet things balanced by an equally large dollop of drying austerity from the oak.

What’s the verdict?
Well, I wasn’t disappointed with my purchase. It’s nearest to the 12-Year-old expression out of the three standard releases but much more complex and intense. An excellently balanced whisky full of character and flavour. As far as I know it is just available in Europe and Japan. It is limited to just 3000 bottles throughout Europe, 1000 of which are for the U.K. You can get if for around £65.

New releases ... Scotch Malt Whisky Society - February 2010

A worldwide club
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a members club devoted to bottling single casks of whisky. The Society is UK based and has two members rooms in Edinburgh and London. There are also now offices spreading around the world and these currently include America, Australia, Japan and throughout Europe. Their collection of whiskies is extensive and ever growing. A panel of members select the whiskies from exclusive casks and these are then bottled and released at regular intervals throughout the year. You can join the club and check out their exclusive range of whisky at www.smws.co.uk.

Different labels
The Society has a unique label system that uses numbers rather than naming the distillery. For example, something labelled as 24.108 has 24 being the Society's number ID for the distillery and 108 being the number of casks bottled by the Society from that distillery. They do this to prevent any positive or negative prejudice that a consumer may have against a certain distillery. They provide comprehensive tasting notes and these are compiled by a tasting committee that discuss the merits of each bottling. The notes can often be curious and very creative! We were lucky to be invited to a tasting evening at the Society's London offices this week, where we sampled some of the whiskies from the new February releases. Thank you to Darren Rook for an excellent evening.

Our tasting notes
Cask 99.11 (Glenugie 29 years old)
Whisky from this distillery is scarce and the SMWS has not released any Glenugie for years, so to get the opportunity to taste some was a rare treat. Glenugie (pronounced glen-oogee) was located in the coastal Highland town of Peterhead, to the north of Aberdeen, and was closed in 1983. The colour is golden yellow and the nose is full of cereal grains and vanilla. These are joined by floral (think of heather) and herbal notes (imagine dried grasses and straw). The palate is very grainy and buttery and is reminiscent of Scottish oatcakes (this characteristic increases the longer the whisky is in the glass). Also present are vanilla, dried grasses and spice (think of nutmeg). The initial sweetness turns drier with a bitter edge. The finish is short, dry and light. An acquired taste but one that grew on us with time. 43.4% ABV/192 bottles/£78

Cask 119.12 (Yamazaki 16 years old)
This cask has only been released to the American, Australian and Japanese Society members. Yamazaki is Japan's oldest whisky distillery and was founded in 1923. The colour is rich golden amber and the nose is promising but has a distinct acetone note (think of nail varnish remover). There are a number of sweet notes present - caramel, raisins, dried peaches, dark sugar. The palate is note as sweet and offers a complex mix of flavours - candied orange, raisins, prunes, hints of liquorice and nutmeg - and is reminiscent to fruit cake and brandy. the finish is long, dry and slightly astringent and is full of spices and tannin. The addition of water softens this. A lovely dram. 54% ABV/262 bottles/no UK price available

Cask 22.28 (Glenkinchie 21 years old)
Glenkinchie is a Lowland single malt and the nearest distillery to Edinburgh. The colour is pale gold and the nose is light and fresh. There is distinct grassy notes (think of dried grass or hay) and these join with vanilla and fresh green apple aromas. On the palate, this whisky is light and inoffensive and offers an initial hot alcoholic burn. When this fades, other notes come through - vanilla, cereal grains, butterscotch and citrus (imagine lemon zest). The finish is short and crisp. The addition of water brought out some citrus on the nose (that lemon zest again) and more grains and dried grass on the palate. 54% ABV/223 bottles/£63.50

Cask 7.55 (Longmorn 40 years old)
Longmorn is a little known but well renowned distillery that lies close to the city of Elgin in the Speyside region. We don't get the chance to sample 40 years old whiskies often, so this was a real treat. The colour is orange amber and the nose is rich and sumptuous. There are plenty of aromas here - dark sugar, treacle, dried fruits, orange peel, cocoa, espresso coffee, waxy furniture polish and a hint of leather. WOW! The palate does not disappoint and is silky smooth, intense and rich. First comes orange marmalade and dried fruits and is followed by leather, cocoa and coffee. There are also minty, eucalyptus and liquorice notes. The finish is long and gorgeous. This has a dessert wine/Cognac feel and is a lovely complex whisky. 54.9% ABV/451 bottles/£186 (a great price for a 40 years old whisky!)

Cask 53.139 (Caol Ila 27 years old)
Caol Ila is located on the famous whisky island of Islay and they produce whiskies in the smoky style. The colour of this whisky is golden yellow and the nose is smoky, sweet and fresh. There is a delightful combination of aromas - sweet earthy peat, vanilla, candy floss, salty brine and something fishy (others in the group suggested anchovy). On the palate, this has a complex mix of notes - sweet vanilla, cereal grains, dried grasses, damp moss, slightly acrid bonfire smoke, salty brine, lemon zest and spicy chilli peppers. The finish is long with the peat smoke lingering for ages. It is light and fresh for something of this age and drinks well without water, despite its ABV strength. With water, more vanilla, grass and burning bonfire come out. An absolute cracker of a dram. 55.5% ABV/256 bottles/£82

Cask 33.80 (Ardbeg 11 years old)
Ardbeg is also located on the western island of Islay and the current insatiable thirst for their whiskies has seen this bottling sell out in just three days! Therefore, the only place to try it is at the SMWS rooms in Edinburgh or London. The colour is golden yellow and the nose is pungent and fresh. There is plenty of smoke here (a combo between bonfire ember and damp soil) and some citrus (think of lemon zest), salt, seaweed and vanilla. On the palate, this feels even smokier (especially the peaty/soil element) and feels oily and buttry in the mouth. Other notes include vanilla, caramel, grass and bitter iodine. The finish is very long and peaty. Water brings out more sweetness and this is balanced by more salt and iodine. 56.6% ABV/242 bottles/£55.50

Dram of the night > a difficult choice but the Caol Ila 27 years old.

The Boutique Bar Show 2009, London

The Boutique Bar Show in London's Royal Horticultural Halls is one of the UK's biggest shows for the spirits industry. The two day show is now in its third year and boasts a fine collection of products, including new releases, aimed at both the on and off trades. Whisky For Everyone was in attendance for the first day of proceedings and sampled a number of whiskies that we had not tried before. The list below looks long we know, but it has to be pointed out that each one was served in a thimble sized sample glass (honest!). We are also writing another post highlighting some of the other quality spirits that we tried during the day and this will be available shortly.

Bunnahabhain 25 years old
This is the oldest release from the core range of the non smoky Islay distillery of Bunnahabhain. The colour is dark and golden and the nose is rich with a mix of caramel, nuts (think of almonds) and dried sherry fruits (imagine sultanas and raisins). On the palate, these are replicated and are joined by some spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), a slightly bitter woodiness and a distinct salty tang (think of sea water). The sweetness is counteracted by this bitterness and saltiness. The finish is soft and slightly dry, being of reasonable length with the dried fruit and spices prominent. Very nice and a rare treat to try something of this age at such a show.

Chivas Regal 18 years old
This 18 years of version of the famous blend contains over 20 different single malts from all over Scotland. The colour is a dark amber and the nose is rich and sweet with elements of dried fruit (imagine raisins and candied orange peel), butterscotch and just a whiff of chocolate (think of cocoa powder). The palate is rich and creamy with the fruitiness and butterscotch predominant and some woody spice (imagine cinnamon) and honey coming through. The finish is long and fruity with maybe just a hint of peat smokiness appearing at the end. A very pleasant dram.

Cutty Sark
This world famous blended whisky is named after the tea clipper ship 'Cutty Sark'. The brand is one of the biggest selling around the globe, selling a staggering 14 million bottles per year. Cutty Sark was served to us chilled over ice like a bottle of white wine. The colour was light and golden yellow with a lovely nose packed with vanilla and cereal grains. On the palate, it feels richer than the nose suggests and is refreshing, with lots of vanilla and grains again. These are joined by a pleasant woodiness, some sweetness (imagine honey) and some buttery toffee. The finish is light, crisp and uplifting. Enjoyable.

Cutty Sark 12 years old
The older sibling of the world famous regular bottling of Cutty Sark contains whisky from some of Speyside's most famous distilleries. It is packaged in a black box and is slightly darker in colour with a richer, sweeter nose. There is a pleasant mix of vanilla, woody spice (think of nutmeg), cereal grains and some sweet honey. The palate is rich, sweet and silky with the vanilla and grains prominent and the spiciness and a slight woodiness balancing this. The finish is long, sweet and smooth. A more exaggerated version of the regular Cutty Sark really, that is very good and enjoyable.

Glenlivet Nadurra
The 'Nadurra' appears in a number of forms. We have previously tried the lower strength Duty Free bottling, so the comparison with this cask strength (57.7% ABV) UK market version was interesting. The colour is golden and the nose has a mixture of vanilla, some toasted nuts (think of hazelnuts) and some wood spices (think of nutmeg and cinnamon). On the palate, this Nadurra is quite dry and full of vanilla oak, yet powerful and complex. The elements from the nose are present. Upon adding water, the palate becomes a touch sweeter and more floral (imagine honeysuckle). The finish is long, rich and dry yet very refreshing. Very very good stuff.

Glenrothes 1991
Glenrothes is a Speyside distillery and they use vintages for its single malts rather than a fixed age, as they believe in bottling the whisky when it has reached peak maturity rather than a certain age. This 1991 is golden brown in colour with a nose that combines vanilla, coconut, dried fruits (think of sultanas and candied orange peel) and butterscotch. The palate is sweet and packed with malty cereal grains that combine with those elements stated for the nose. The finish is long, rich, fruity and spicy (imagine nutmeg) with the butterscotch at the forefront. Classic stuff.

Glenrothes 1994
The younger housemate of the 1994 is a slightly different beast. The colour is similar (golden brown but slightly lighter) but that is where it ends. The nose is uplifting due to a prominent citrus element (think of lemon zest especially, although there is also some orange peel in there) and this combines with some lovely dried fruit (imagine raisins and sultanas) and sweet toffee. On the palate, this feels lighter with that definite zingy citrus present and a balanced combination of toffee, woody spice (think of cinnamon) and cereal grains. The finish is long and fruity with a nice tangy quality. A lovely dram.

Longmorn 16 years old
Longmorn is a Speyside distillery that is situated close to the town of Elgin. This 16 years old is golden yellow in colour with a classical bourbon cask matured nose. There is vanilla, coconut, woody oak and a touch of a herbal note (imagine dried grasses). The palate is light and enjoyable, again with a lot of vanilla, some toffee style sweetness, honey and some malty, almost yeasty, cereal grains (think of digestive biscuits). The finish is reasonably long with sweetness being balanced by some spices (think of nutmeg) and the returning grassiness.

Macallan Fine Oak 15 years old
The Macallan distillery is located in Speyside and is one of Scotland's largest and most famous distilleries. The Fine Oak series combines Macallan's traditional sherry cask maturation with some time in a bourbon cask. The colour is golden with a lovely nose that combines vanilla, dried fruits (think of sultanas), sweet honey and some toasted nuts (imagine almonds). This is warm and sumptuous on the palate with a lovely combination of the elements from the nose, malted cereals, caramel and spice (think of cinnamon with a hint of star anise). The finish is complex and fruity with the vanilla and spices coming through well. A superb, smooth and well balanced whisky.

Mekhong Whiskey
Although Mekhong is marketed as a whiskey in its native Thailand, it is actually made from a secret traditional recipe combining sugar cane, rice and local Thai herbs and spices. It is produced at the Bangyikhan distillery and is being officially launched in the UK for the first time (this version is bottled at 35% ABV rather than the Thai version which is closer to 60%!). The colour is a reddish amber with a nose that is much more reminiscent of a rum. The sugar cane is particularly evident with lots of caramel, spices (think of ginger) and some citrus cutting through (especially lemons). These notes are replicated on the sweet palate that is sugary (think of honey and toffee) and smooth. The finish is long and rounded. It maybe too sweet for some people but would be ideal to use with a mixer or cocktail. Interesting to try.

The Whisky For Everyone 'Dram of the Day' - a tough choice but it goes to the Macallan Fine Oak 15 years old.

Have just tried ... Longmorn 1992 from Signatory Vintage

Longmorn is situated in Speyside and has built up a reputation of being one of Scotland's best blending whiskies by the blenders at most large companies. It is the main whisky that goes into the Chivas Regal range, which sells massive volumes around the world each year. As a result of this, distillery bottlings are few and far between (the most common being a newly released 16 years old). There are a number of releases from independent bottlers and this one is from Signatory Vintage and bottled at 15 years old. The colour is light and straw like. The nose is very pleasant with a lot of grassy, vegetal notes (it reminded me of a spring meadow full of grasses and fragrant flowers). Mixing with these is a pronounced citrus, zingy note (like lemon and lime zest), crisp fresh apples and some butterscotch, toffee and vanilla. The complexity found on the nose then translates well on to the palate, with these flavours combining to give a very pleasant, easy drinking whisky with a perfect level of sweetness. The finish is a disappointingly short and is quite crisp and dry with a hint of raw spirit coming through. That takes the edge off the pleasant sweetness that is present and slightly spoils the whisky in my opinion. Longmorn is relatively expensive to buy but this one is really good and well worth a try, being decently priced at just over £30.