Longmorn 10 Year Old "Hart Brothers Finest Collection" K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

I love Longmorn and I'm always surprised how difficult it is to get. I guess Chivas is aware of how dang good this stuff is and you just can't make that much blended scotch with out the stuffing from these gems. So anyway, we jumped on the chance to own a cask of Longmorn and we're all the more excited to see it was aged in sherry. Now this isn't a first fill cask, likely a second, and the color isn't very dark. A solid deep gold, but color and character are not always correlated. Indeed, this one pops immediately with a huge apple orchard fruit character, maybe is was a moscatel or something else, because it's so pungent it can't only be the fruit of the malt at this age. After we get a big vanilla bean, wild honey, candied citrus peel, honeydew and a bit of candle wax. On the pallet, it's very rich and oily. More apricot and honey stuff, but also now some earthy malt and hints of fragrant heather. With water the nose becomes more darker and maltier, which is very unusual and welcome. A bit more sherry funk comes out as well, losing its absolutely pristine nose in favor or even more character. The palate is down right thick now, a strange trick of water and whisky, where by the perceived density increases despite the obvious physical fact that you've diluted the product. Absolutely unparalleled vibrancy adds to the picture with countless fruit and botanical aromas flowing freely now. This is nearly the perfect young Speysider for me. It exemplifies the dichotomy of elegance and complexity that the regions best malts exhibit. There's not a better $70 malt in this style available on the market today. This is the real deal.