Blackadder Longmorn 16 Year Raw Cask
Blackadder is one of the several independent scotch bottlers putting out alternatives to the distillery releases normally available. I first had the chance to try one of their bottlings almost three years ago, and ever since then I’ve been a big fan of theirs. In contrast to the more common bottlers, such as Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory, Blackadder is very rare, and very hard to find. As far as I know their only US distributor/importer is right here in Massachusetts, and even he has to work hard to get the bottles that he’s able to feature in his shop.
Which is a shame, because when it comes right down to it, 9 times out of 10 the bottlings from Blackadder knock the socks off of anything from Gordon & MacPhail or Signatory, probably the most common of the independent bottlers. By now I’ve been lucky enough to try several different malts from Blackadder, and I can comfortably say that they are putting out some of the best that you’ll find, whether from the distillers themselves or independent bottlers.
In fact, I would have said this the moment that I tasted a Blackadder bottling for the first time. It was a bottle of 36-year old Banff, a Speyside distillery that closed in 1983 and his since been demolished. This was from a first-fill sherry cask and had the color of very dark mahogany. But what was most impressive were the bits of char floating in the whisky, something I’d never seen before.
That’s because this was one of Blackadder’s Raw Cask bottlings, a line that they introduced in 2000. Raw Cask bottles receive only a very light filtering prior to bottling, a process that leaves many of the essential oils and flavors intact, and even some bits of char (see below for a note on this). Bottled at cask strength, the flavor of the whisky was amazing, and the body it displayed was stunning. The difference that the lesser filtration had on the final whisky in the glass was remarkable.
Since then I’ve tasted a number of their Raw Cask bottles, as well as some from their lineup of younger, regular-strength whiskies. Nearly everything has been outstanding, but no doubt the Raw Cask bottles have been the most impressive.
And so, while both Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, and even Murray McDavid definitely release some great bottles of whisky, it’s the consistently excellent bottles being put out as part of Blackadder’s Raw Cask series that puts them head and shoulders above the others. The only independent bottler I hold in higher esteem is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, but to some extent that’s because my admiration for what they do goes beyond just the whiskies (which have nonetheless been consistently outstanding).
So, on to Longmorn. This distillery was established in 1893 and has been in nearly continuous operation ever since. Today they’re owned by Chivas Regal and are one of the most important whiskies in that eponymous blend. The distillery uses a very lightly peated malt and charges their stills to about 60% capacity, with the end result generally being a pleasingly middle of the road malt in the Speyside tradition. Common flavors include lots of honey and malt character, and the occasional trace of smoke. They use both bourbon and sherry casks for aging, and produce a massive 3.5 million liters a year. One of the benefits of this huge volume is that it is not uncommon to find bottles of Longmorn from independent bottlers, and I’ve tried a few that have been simply stellar. Much more so than the official distillery bottlings that I’ve tried.
I was lucky to have a chance to taste this particular bottle when a friend of mine picked it up during a recent visit. It’s a Raw Cask bottling of Longmorn that was distilled in 1990 and bottled at 16 years old. It’s from a bourbon barrel, and was bottled at 58.3%.
The color is straw with just a slight, golden tinge to it. With lots of legs and big bubbles this is a nicely textured whisky even just in the glass. The nose has notes of lemons, honey, vanilla, wheat, and a bit of mint. Huge flavors just blossom in your mouth. The palate kicks off with a trace of smoke, followed by luscious tones of honey, wheat, and malt, and a light caramel flavor. The 58.3% is a bit fiery and hot, and the whisky takes kindly to a drop or three of water to calm it down a bit. The finish has generous notes of honey and wheat that just linger on into the sunset, accompanied by an intriguing bit of smoke. A nice finish to a very drinkable whisky!
Yet another great bottling from Blackadder. If you see this one, or any Raw Cask from them, grab it. You won’t be sorry.
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