Longmorn 22 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml

Four moreyears. That is the difference betweenthe Longmorn 18 and the Longmorn 22,and the question the whisky world askedwhen both expressions launched togetherin 2024 was simple: does an additionalfour years in American oak at adistillery whose 18-year alreadyreceived 94 points from WhiskyAdvocate justify a significantly higherprice point and ameaningfully different drinkingexperience?

The answer, according toWhisky Advocate, is an unambiguous yes— 96 Points for the 22 Year Old, twopoints higher than thealready-celebrated 18-year, and one ofthe highest scores awarded to anySpeyside single malt in the 2024release calendar. The additional fouryears in American oak barrels andhogsheads have done what time alone cando when the base spirit is of genuinequality: deepened the integration,concentrated the wood's contribution,pushed the profile from the 18'sexuberantly fruity and honeyedcharacter into something drier, morecontemplative, and more specificallycomplex — aromatic oak and nutty cocoataking the lead, dark chocolate andespresso notes emerging where the 18showed toffee and tropical fruit.

Longmorn was founded in 1893 in Moray, atthe heart of Speyside, and has spentthe greater part of its existence as aninvisible contributor to some of themost widely consumed blended Scotch inthe world — Chivas Regal above all.Masataka Taketsuru, the Japanesechemist who founded Nikka Whisky,worked briefly at Longmorn in 1920 andwas so impressed by its stills that hemodeled his own distilleries afterthem; the Japanese whisky hesubsequently created is now among themost collected in the world. Thedistillery itself has spent theintervening century largelyuncelebrated — until now. Fouradditional years in the warehouse haveproduced the most serious and the mostspecifically age-developed expressionLongmorn has officially released forthe American market: darker, oakier,more structured, and — in WhiskyAdvocate's assessment — among thefinest Speyside single malts currentlyavailable at any age.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Longmorn Distillery was established in 1893 byJohn Duff in the parish of Longmorn,Moray — a site in the geographic heartof Scotland's most productive Speysidewhisky-making zone. Owned today byPernod Ricard through Chivas Brothers,the distillery has produced malt whiskyprimarily for blending purposes formost of its 130-year history, withLongmorn distillate serving as one ofthe most critical and the mostconsistently relied-upon components inChivas Regal blends across generationsof blenders.

The 22 Year Old is theelder of the two expressions ChivasBrothers launched for the US market inearly 2024 — an annual, single-batchbottling drawn from American oakbarrels and hogsheads that have heldLongmorn spirit for the full 22 years,selected by the blending team for theirspecific depth and character. Like the18-year, the 22-year is bottled withoutchill filtration, without added color,and at natural cask strength — in thisbatch, 54.5% ABV / 109 proof, slightlylower than the 18-year's 57.6%,reflecting the additional years ofmaturation and the gradual reduction inproof that extended aging in Scotland'scool climate naturally produces. Thefour additional years in oak, beyondthe already impressive 18-yearmaturation, produce the deeper woodintegration, the darker secondaryflavors, and the more specificallystructured and contemplative palatecharacter that distinguish the 22 fromits sibling expression.

Critics Reviews

Whisky Advocate — 96 Points:
"Hazelnut praline, toffee, dried apricot, andorange rind are laced with wisps ofpipe tobacco, vanilla, and toastedcoconut. Medium-bodied with wonderfulcreaminess and texture. Notes of milkchocolate, pear, cinnamon, vanilla, andmango carry gently through a layeredand complex midpalate. A long andbeautifully spiced finish featurestoasted oak and dried fruitwith a touch of butterscotch."

Drinkhacker — B+ Rating:
"Oakier,spicier, and less aromatic than the 18year old, this single malt takes itstime to open up in the glass. Cinnamon,allspice, and ginger float from the tipof the tongue and then back, withpapaya and pineapple developing shortlyafter on the midpalate. Burnt citrusand more coffee/espresso elements atthe very tail end."

Paste Magazine (confirmed):
"Driernotes of aromatic oak and nutty cocoa.The 22-year presents with aromatic oaktaking the lead over the 18's morefruit-forward profile."

Longmorn official tasting notes:
"Hazelnut praline and luscious toffee,with delicate citrus and poached pears.Notes of dried fruit and toasted oakwith a touch of sweet butterscotch onthe finish."

Distillery official (22-year specific characterization):
"Rich and creamy,with dried stone fruits and toasted oakbuilding through the midpalate. Theadditional years of aging haveconcentrated the oak's contributionwhile deepening the integrationof fruit and wood."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deepamber with a warm mahogany glow —the four additional years inAmerican oak producing a color notablydeeper and richer than the 18-year.Hazelnut praline and toffeeopen the nose with warmth and nuttyrichness. Dried apricot and orange rindadd concentrated, slightlyoxidative fruit depth thatreplaces the 18-year's fresher tropicalcharacter with something morespecifically aged and contemplative.Wisps of pipe tobacco add the mostsophisticated and the most specificallycomplex secondary aromatic — the wood'smost advanced contribution after 22years. Vanilla and toasted coconut addthe American oak's classic sweetness.The overall nose is drier, morearomatic, and less immediatelyexuberant than the 18-year — a profilethat takes more time to open in theglass but rewards the patience withgreater nuance.

Palate
Medium-bodied with wonderful creaminess and texture— the Whisky Advocate's mostspecifically noted palate quality, acreaminess that the additional oak timeand the slightly lower proof togetherproduce in a more integrated andspecifically silky form than the18-year's bolder, more punch-forwardpalate. Milk chocolate and pearcarry the most elegant and the mostdessert-adjacent primary flavors.Cinnamon, vanilla, and mango buildthrough a layered andcomplex midpalate. Papaya and pineappledevelop in the mid-palatealongside cinnamon, allspice, andginger. Burnt citrus andespresso emerge toward the back palate— the darkest, mostoak-derived, and the most specificallyage-developed secondary flavors,appearing where the 18-year showedtropical fruit.

Finish
Long and beautifully spiced — the mostspecifically compelling and the mostdefinitively age-worthy quality of the22-year, the finish carryingtoasted oak and dried fruit with atouch of butterscotch in a close ofgenuine length and structural elegance.Coffee and espresso linger alongsidethe dried apricot and orange rind. Thecinnamon spice carries the longestand the most persistently,confirming the four additional yearsof oak contact's most direct andthe most measurable contribution to thespirit's character.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Dark chocolatetruffles — the milk chocolate,espresso, and toasted oak finding theirmost natural culinary pairing
• Crèmebrûlée and caramel desserts — thebutterscotch and toffee aligned
• Agedhard cheeses — Comté, aged gouda,Manchego
• Dried fruit and nut boards —the dried apricot and hazelnut pralinecharacter mirrored
• Digestif on itsown — the contemplative profile mostrewarding in stillness