Longmorn Distillery

John Duff founded Longmorn in 1893 with partners Charles Shirres and George Thomson. Duff was an experienced distillery manager who had previously operated Glenlossie; his vision was a new Speyside distillery drawing on local springs and the fertile barley country of the Laich of Moray. Production commenced in December 1894.

Such was the early commercial success that Duff opened BenRiach Distillery on an immediately adjacent site. However, the collapse of the Pattisons wholesale business in 1898–1899 — a crisis that devastated the entire Scotch whisky industry — financially ruined Duff, forcing him to sell both distilleries. James Grant took over Longmorn; it then passed through various hands and eventually merged with The Glenlivet and Glen Grant distilleries in 1970 to form The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd.

Chivas Brothers acquired the group in 1978. In 2001 the French spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers, bringing Longmorn into one of the world's largest spirits portfolios. The distillery today operates four wash stills and four spirit stills. Annual production capacity is approximately 3,500,000 litres — significant output reflecting Longmorn's importance to the Chivas blending operation.

Longmorn operates four wash stills and four spirit stills, with an annual capacity of approximately 3,500,000 litres. Water comes from local springs in the Moray countryside. Maturation primarily uses American white oak and ex-bourbon casks, which contribute vanilla and tropical fruit notes to the rich, oily spirit. The distillery's spirit has a notably heavy character that develops considerable depth and complexity over extended maturation — an ideal blending malt and an exceptional single malt when aged carefully.

Longmorn is defined by a heavy, oily, and richly aromatic spirit. The classic character is soft and fruited: baked apple, marzipan, and ripe orchard fruit on the nose, with warm baking spice, vanilla, and balanced sweetness on the palate. With extended maturation, dried fruit notes emerge alongside elegant oak and a long, lingering finish. The 16 Year Old in American white oak is the approachable expression; the 18 Year Old rewards with greater depth. Older independent bottlings from Gordon & MacPhail and others reveal just how magnificently this distillery's spirit ages.

Longmorn is not open to visitors. There is no visitor centre or public tour programme. The distillery operates as a production site within the Chivas Brothers / Pernod Ricard network.