Longmorn, the Speyside single malt that garnered much praise during the years when its bottlings were available, is back on the market. Last week, owner Pernod Ricard announced the release of an 18 year old (57.6%) priced at $280, (57.6%) and a 22 year old (54.5%), priced at $440. Both are bottled at cask strength, aged predominantly in bourbon barrels, and will be available nationwide. This marks the reappearance of a treasured label that has been absent from the U.S. market for many years.
Longmorn is mostly unknown to the world at large, but it’s revered among single malt aficionados. Its whisky has mainly served as a malt component for the big blended scotches of its owners—Seagram for much of the 20th century and Pernod Ricard since 2001—supplying such global scotch stars as Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and others. It wasn’t until 1993, its 99th year of operation, that Longmorn released its first single malt bottling.
That release was Longmorn 15 year old, and it was a heady moment for single malt lovers who hoped that other Chivas component malts—Strathisla, Allt-a-Bhainne, and perhaps others—would also come out to play. Then-owner Seagram did flirt with the idea of releasing some of its malts in that manner, to ape the success of rival Diageo’s Classic Malts range. But that part of it never really came to pass.
In the ensuing years, Longmorn 15 went on to become something of a star in its own right, a straightforward, gentle whisky, beloved for its depth and balanced, full, fruited flavors. But the 15 year old soldiered on alone, with no other additions to its family except for a 25 year old limited centenary release in 1994. In 2007, much to the chagrin of its fans, Longmorn 15 was discontinued. It was replaced by a 16 year old, which had a run of about nine years before being discontinued itself.
Since then, releases have been sporadic. There was a non-age statement expression in some markets, and then in 2020 Pernod Ricard released The Secret Speyside Collection, first in Travel Retail and then in the UK. That limited collection was a throwback to the original malts collection idea that was never carried out, and it included whiskies from the Pernod Ricard distilleries Longmorn, Glen Keith, Braes of Glenlivet, and Caperdonich. The Longmorn entries were an 18, 23, and 25 year old.
The Secret Speyside Collection was the last sighting, though there have been some successful independent bottlings. But there has been no U.S. release since the 16 year old in 2007, which is why the arrival of the 18 and 22 year olds is such welcome news. In announcing these two whiskies, Longmorn seemed to be signaling a commitment to make more bottlings available in the longer term, though that wasn’t entirely clear. Owner Pernod Ricard said this rollout was “signifying its commitment to releasing only single malts aged 18 years or more.” Here’s hoping it’s the start of more to come.
