UK. Pernod Ricard-owned Chivas Brothers has announced the creation of Longmorn 16 Year Old as the main driver in a repositioning of Longmorn as a global, super-premium malt whisky.
Longmorn 16yo replaces the existing 15yo, known to connoisseurs as the “˜Hidden Jewel’ of Speyside in Scotland. The product will be available in international markets, including travel retail.
Longmorn will be available at a price point of £50 (US$100). The product’s positioning at the super-premium end of the malt market places it in a category that is experiencing strong growth of +17.5%, according to IWSR CAGR 2000-2005.
The launch is another example of Chivas Brothers’ premiumisation strategy, as demonstrated by the recent launch of The Glenlivet XXV.
About Longmorn 16 Year Old
The new packaging aims to express the core malt whisky values of craftsmanship and rarity. Glass, metal, paper and leather are combined for a tactile experience.
The bottle features a stitched leather base, the label incorporates two types of matt and embossed paper, and an aluminium seal stamped with the “g” from the Longmorn logo is tied around the bottle neck.
In another unusual twist, a flap on the dark brown outer case opens outwards and upwards. When the flap is opened, the words “Long no more” are stamped inside – a reference to the fact that Longmorn has previously been a well-kept secret known only to whisky connoisseurs.
Neil Macdonald, Brand Director for Malts at Chivas Brothers, said: “Longmorn has been considered the “˜hidden jewel’ of Speyside for many years by distillers and connoisseurs alike and the new Longmorn is the perfect expression of luxury malt.
“Longmorn 16 Year Old is a rare and desirable whisky, with an outstanding reputation among whisky cognoscenti, paired with packaging that combines effortless simplicity and total attention to detail. Glass, metal, paper and leather all come together in a design synergy that delivers tactile experiential packaging.”
Macdonald continued: “Single malt whisky’s reputation and prestige have built global momentum over the past five years among discerning consumers. A growing opportunity now exists within the malt whisky market to build whisky brands such as Longmorn, which purely operate at a super-premium level in terms of presentation, product and pricing.”
About Longmorn
Longmorn uses fat, plain stills which are said to create complexity. The product is described as sweet, fruity, with depth as well as breadth, while being fragrant yet powerful. It is “gentle and honeyed in American oak barrels, richer and more spicily expansive in good quality hogsheads, darkly rich and powerful in ex-sherry butts”, the company said.
Colour: Old gold
Nose: Complex and constantly changing. The first hit is of dusty spices, sweet wood, fried banana, set honey, even suede. Ripe soft, juicy, peachy fruits behind along with tablet, runny toffee and cocoa butter.
Palate: Sweet and almost fizzy start: cinnamon, nutmeg. Then honeyed, almost mango like sweetness. Deepens into creme de mures with a cedar note, some mint leaf, then gingery spice on the long finish. Highly complex.
Longmorn’s creator was the adventurer and entrepreneur John Duff, who took his passion for whisky making around the world, having set up whisky distilleries in both South Africa and the US before returning to his native Scotland to establish Longmorn single malt whisky in 1893.
Within four years, Duff had built an enviable reputation. Part of Longmorn’s success was said to be the result of the distillery location. It was on the fringes of the main barley growing area of the Laich o’Moray; and there were plentiful supplies of peat available from the “˜foggie loans’ of the nearby Mannoch Hill. This part of Scotland has a micro-climate and fertile soil perfect for growing barley.
About Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s number two wines and spirits company. Number two in Scotch whisky and leader in premium gin, the Chivas Brothers portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Passport and Something Special.
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