Whiskey-lovers can welcome 16 Year Old single malt whisky

The widely-reputed Longmorn 15 Year Old is now replaced by Longmorn 16 Year Old, which is claimed to deliver more smoothness and taste than ever before.

Dubbed ‘Speyside's best-kept secret', the brand has been prized by blenders and connoisseurs of single malt whisky for its mellow and complex character. The distillery was founded in 1893 by John Duff, who previously had built the famous Glenlossie distillery, as well as others in South Africa and the United States.

It remained in the Duff family until 1970 when they merged their business with the Grants (of Glen Grant) to form the Glenlivet Distillers Company. This was subsequently taken over by Chivas Brothers, who later joined the Pernod Ricard stable.

The production of whisky is, arguably, as ‘terroir-inspired' as winemaking. Hence, a contributing factor to Longmorn's success must be the distillery's location… it is situated on the fringes of Laich o'Moray in the part of Scotland where the micro-climate, fertile soil boasting an abundance of peat and purity of water are ideally suited to barley.

The packaging of the Longmorn 16 Year Old is striking: combining glass, metal, paper and leather in a sleek contemporary design. Longmorn 16 Year Old retails nationally at about R700.