Longmorn Distillery, Elgin: The Blenders’ Secret
Longmorn at a glance
| Region | Speyside (near Elgin, Moray) |
| Founded | 1893 (spirit 1894) |
| Owner | Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) |
| Visitor centre | No — production-only |
| Tours | No public tours |
| Opening | Not open to the public |
| Website | chivas.com |
Overview
Longmorn, between Elgin and Rothes, is one of the great connoisseurs’ distilleries — a rich, complex, waxy Speyside malt long revered inside the industry as one of the finest fillings for top blends, and by distillers themselves. It has never had a big public profile, but among those in the know it is quietly held in the highest regard.
The history
Longmorn was founded in 1893 by John Duff and partners, and quickly earned a reputation for exceptional quality — so much so that other distillers would use it as a benchmark. It has long been a cornerstone of the Chivas Regal blends, and only occasionally released as a single malt, which keeps its cult status intact.
The water & the land
Longmorn is made with water from local springs on Mannoch Hill.
Longmorn had no founding clan — it was John Duff’s blenders’ venture — standing in the Laich of Moray near Elgin, historic Gordon and Grant/Seafield country.
How it’s made
Longmorn runs four wash and four spirit stills for about 3.5 million litres a year from local spring water, matured mostly in ex-bourbon casks. Founded by John Duff, Charles Shirres and George Thomson, it began production in December 1894, joined The Glenlivet Distillers in 1978 and is now run by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard since 2001). It is a prized blending malt for Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s, and its 16-year-old has won San Francisco World Spirits Competition silver medals.
Visiting
Longmorn is not open to the public — it is a production-only distillery. Its whisky appears mostly in blends and occasional official or independent single-malt bottlings.
Nearby & more whisky
- Its sister founding by John Duff, just down the road: BenRiach — open to visit.
- Also close by: Linkwood and Glen Elgin.
- The home of Chivas, over towards Keith: Strathisla.
- Planning a day of it? Our Speyside Whisky Trail bases its final leg on Rothes, Elgin and Keith.
- The whole picture: Scotch whisky — the full guide
Sources
- Longmorn distillery — Wikipedia.
- Scotchwhisky.com Whiskypedia.