Today is my birthday, always a reason to dig up something special from my (sample) collection.
I decided upon this Longmorn 12 Year Old from Hill, Thomson & Co. Once a humble grocer in Edinburgh, they developed their own brands like the famous Queen Anne blend (est. 1902). They had close relations with the Longmorn distillery and had easy access to their whisky.
In 1970 the company merged with The Glenlivet & Glen Grant Distillers and Longmorn Distillers to form The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd.
This Longmorn 12 was bottled before 1940, I’m not sure which elements led to this timeframe but I trust the owner of the bottle Geert Bero. In any case it was exported to the US. A quick look online tells us a 27 year-old and 32 year-old expression were bottled with the same label.
Longmorn Glenlivet 12 yo
(91.4° proof, Hill Thomson & Co 1930s, Nicholas & Co importers NY)
Longmorn Glenlivet 12 yoNose: the minty freshness is exciting. Spearmint mixed with library dust, old books and vague fruity notes (peach, apples). Light creamy notes (toffee, Mokatine). Hints of OBE (metallic notes, silver polish). Fresh herbs too (chives, rosemary).
Mouth: lacking a bit of oomph but nice. Minty notes, light pepper, a hint of salted butter caramel and tea. Vague fruits again, maybe oranges and red berries. Grows warmer, oilier and wider, with a mix of vanilla roundness and peat towards the end.
Finish: rather long but fairly delicate, with light vegetal touches as well as hints of tea.
As a piece of history this is priceless, even though I’m sure it has lost some of its feathers along the way. Yes, that can also be said of me.
Score: 91/100