In 1920, a young Japanese chemist named Masataka Taketsuru arrived in Scotland to learn the craft of whisky making. He visited several of the great Speyside distilleries, and when he returned to Japan to found what would become the Nikka Whisky Distilling Company — the producer whose Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries now occupy the top tier of Japanese whisky — he modeled his stills after those he had studied at one distillery above all others: Longmorn. The founder of Japanese whisky left Scotland convinced that Longmorn's stills produced the most compelling spirit he had encountered. He was not wrong, and the Japanese whisky that his stills subsequently produced has, in recent decades, become among the most acclaimed and the most collected in the world.

Yet Longmorn itself has spent almost all of its 130-year history in the background — since 1893 in Moray, at the heart of the Speyside region, producing a rich, full-bodied, deeply fruity malt whisky that has served as one of the most important backbone components of Chivas Regal blends for generations. Pernod Ricard owns Longmorn today through Chivas Brothers, alongside The Glenlivet, Aberlour, and Strathisla — better-known names that have long overshadowed a distillery whose whisky has been quietly shaping the character of some of the world's most widely sold blended Scotch without receiving credit in any bottle. That changes with this release.

The 18 Year Old is Longmorn's most accessible and most immediately impressive official single malt expression — launched in 2024 as an annual, single-batch release specifically intended for the US market, non-chill filtered, no added color, cask strength at 57.6% ABV from a combination of American oak barrels and hogsheads. Whisky Advocate awarded 94 Points: "the younger of this year's two aged Longmorn releases — vanilla on the nose, with citrus, ripe melon, aged oak, and old books for a subtle aged fragrance — the palate is honeyed and soft with balanced spice, citrus, and stone fruits — the finish is long and spiced, serving up plenty of vanilla sweetness, peach, apricot, and melon — thick, layered, and complex, with lots of aged integration, but this whisky is still in its prime." Drinkhacker rated it A-, calling it "boldly flavorful" with caramel apples, papaya, pineapple, macadamia honey, tiramisu, and cocoa. Robb Report called Longmorn "a hidden gem from under-the-radar distilleries" and said the 18-year-old "is truly a fantastic whisky."

The hidden gem that the father of Japanese whisky chose as his model. Now, finally, in its own bottle.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Longmorn Distillery was established in 1893 by John Duff in the parish of Longmorn in Moray, in the heart of Scotland's Speyside region — a position that places it geographically and qualitatively at the center of the most concentrated cluster of single malt distilleries in the world. The distillery was acquired by The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. in 1970, passed to Chivas Brothers when they were acquired in 1978, and absorbed into the Pernod Ricard portfolio when Pernod acquired Chivas Brothers in 2001. For virtually the entire subsequent period, Longmorn's distillate has served primarily as a key component in Chivas Regal blends — a role that has kept the distillery's name largely invisible to consumers while its whisky has shaped some of the world's most widely distributed blended Scotch.

The 18 Year Old is the first major official standalone expression Longmorn has launched for the US market — a genuinely exciting development because it draws on the distillery's deep reserves of well-aged stock that has been building quietly in Speyside warehouses while the blending teams at Chivas took the best of what they needed. The whisky is matured for 18 years in a combination of American oak barrels and hogsheads — the two cask formats that deliver Longmorn's most characteristic profile: toffee, vanilla, and creamy fruit richness from the bourbon-seasoned wood, with the hogshead's slightly larger format adding a gentler, more integrated oak character. No cask finishing, no gimmicks — just 18 years of patient Speyside maturation, then single-batch bottling at natural cask strength without chill filtration or added color. Released annually, with each batch reflecting the specific character of the casks selected for that year.

Critics Reviews

Whisky Advocate — 94 Points:
"The younger of this year's two aged Longmorn releases. Vanilla on the nose, with citrus, ripe melon, aged oak, and old books for a subtle aged fragrance. The palate is honeyed and soft with balanced spice, citrus, and stone fruits. The finish is long and spiced, serving up plenty of vanilla sweetness, peach, apricot, and melon. Thick, layered, and complex, with lots of aged integration, but this whisky is still in its prime."

Drinkhacker — A- Rating:
"The nose kicks things off with caramel apples, light baking spice, ginger, cherry cough drop, and subtle notes of papaya. Cinnamon, allspice, and ginger float from the tip of the tongue and then back, with papaya and pineapple developing shortly after on the midpalate. The sweetness is reminiscent of macadamia honey — compounded by a buttery mouthfeel — and tiramisu, with a hint of cocoa throughout."

Paste Magazine (confirmed):
"On the nose, redolent in deep toffee sweetness and baked apple fruitiness. Honeycomb with slightly toasty characteristics and more than a hint of wood spice and licorice, supported by butterscotch. On the palate, rich toffee and spice, featuring heavily caramelized and slightly nutty sugars, vanilla, Christmas cookies and griddled apples. Boldly flavorful in general — a very flavorful dram indeed."

Robb Report (confirmed):
"Add Longmorn to the list [of hidden gem distilleries], but there's a good chance this might change with the relaunch of a new 18-year-old single malt that is truly a fantastic whisky. No cask finishing or other whisky gimmicks were used, just the careful selection and blending of some of the distillery's best barrels resulting in yet another bottle for scotch fans to hunt down."

Longmorn official tasting notes:
"Rich tasting notes of toffee apples, apricots and fresh tropical fruit before a subtly sweet finish of creamy milk chocolate. Hazelnut praline and luscious toffee with delicate citrus and poached pears for a sweet and smooth finish."

Buy It Right Liquors (confirmed extended note):
"Toffee apples, soft butterscotch, and vanilla notes mingle with ripe melon, citrus oil, and the gentle grace of aged oak and old books. Rich and juicy — apricot, mango, stone fruit, and honeyed caramel are balanced with elegant spice and orchard fruit integrity."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Rich amber gold — the 18 years in American oak barrels and hogsheads producing a color of genuine depth and warmth. Deep toffee sweetness and baked apple fruitiness open the nose with an immediately generous and welcoming aromatic character. Vanilla and honeycomb arrive alongside citrus oil and ripe melon. Soft butterscotch and hazelnut praline add the most classically and the most specifically Speyside-character aromatic qualities. Aged oak and old books add a subtle, contemplative secondary fragrance that signals the 18 years of patient maturation behind the fruit. A hint of wood spice and licorice threads through the background.

Palate
Honeyed and soft, with balanced spice, citrus, and stone fruits building progressively from the first sip. At 57.6% cask strength, the entry is surprisingly composed — the Drinkhacker reviewer noted that the balance between flavor and ethanol is "lovely" for a single malt at this proof. Cinnamon, allspice, and ginger emerge from the tip of the tongue and build through the mid-palate. Papaya and pineapple develop alongside apricot and mango. The sweetness is reminiscent of macadamia honey — compounded by a buttery mouthfeel. Tiramisu and a hint of cocoa add dessert-like secondary richness. Caramelized and slightly nutty sugars, vanilla, Christmas cookies, and griddled apples round out a palate of considerable and specifically Speyside-character complexity.

Finish
Long and spiced, with plenty of vanilla sweetness, peach, apricot, and melon carrying the close. Milk chocolate and hazelnut praline linger alongside creamy toffee. The cask strength alcohol finally makes itself known at the finish — warmingly so, never harshly. Thick, layered, and complex throughout — a whisky, as Whisky Advocate specifically and most accurately observed, that is still in its prime.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Apple tart and autumnal fruit desserts — the toffee apple and baked fruit character finding its most natural culinary mirror
• Dark chocolate and milk chocolate truffles
• Hazelnut praline and nut-based confections
• Aged cheddar and hard cheeses
• Crème brûlée — the caramelized sugar and vanilla notes aligned