The name Dutch Whisky Connection has been connected to Michiel Wigman for around 20 years. Originally a whisky club and a well-known stand with old and rare bottles at whisky festivals (together with Bert Vuik).
Now Michiel has also ventured into whisky bottling / selecting. He recently presented six whisky releases in a series called They Inspired I, featuring famous people in history. One of them is this Longmorn 2005 matured in a first-fill sherry butt.
Longmorn 15 yo 2005 (50,9%, Dutch Whisky Connection ‘They Inspired I’ 2020, first-fill sherry butt #18074, 238 btl.)
Nose: a bit of a plump, mushroomy start but it picks up (some) freshness over time. A lot of moist tobacco leaves, black coffee, roasted chestnuts and moss. A dash of Angostura. Later some prunes and jammy raspberries emerge. Caramelized hazelnuts. Overall a style that is old-school (savoury) and modern (active wood) at the same time.
Mouth: as expected, very dark and intense. Plenty of meaty notes (mince pie, broth) mixed with (burnt) caramel, ground coffee, sticky toffee pudding and hints of cough syrup. Also cocoa powder, herbal touches and some peppery, woody heat. Dark chocolate towards the end.
Finish: quite long, now with more spice (ginger and cinnamon), coffee and a minty note.
A very intense, rather umami-driven style of sherry cask, taking over the spirit entirely. It’s a really good sherry bomb but I personally like them with a little more fruitiness. A bit expensive as well, I’d say. Now available from Dutch Whisky Connection.