Woodrows Longmorn 14yo Cask #900015 & Woodrows Cuban Rum 45yo Cask #2406401

Woodrows Longmorn 14yo Cask #900015

Region: Speyside

ABV: 54.5%

Price: £112.00

Distilled on the 12th of August 2010, this release was matured in a first fill bourbon barrel. It was bottled on the 22nd of August 2024, with a total of 244 bottles released.

Nose

The nose opens with cream soda, vanilla custard, fresh red apple, a handful of pear flavoured hard candies and stroopwaffles right at the end when we get deeper into the glass. There’s a reasonably warm alcohol backbone, showing more as warm brown sugar and a little air dried firewood. It’s not too sweet on the nose, there’s a dryness that stops it from becoming overly sugary. Going back, we’re getting a little hairspray and fuzzy peach and green grape.

Palate

The palate opens with a nice and creamy mouthfeel, think whipped cream, complimented by sweet vanilla panacotta, worthers originals, fudge and a bit of white pepper spice on the back palate. We’re also getting Tunnocks caramel logs, the torched sugar crust of a creme brûlée, baking milk chocolate and a bit of butterscotch too. There’s a fair bit of alcohol coming through on the palate, it’s not blowing our heads off but the spice definitely lingers on the good length finish.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings forward slightly nuttier aromas, more wood spice, nutmeg, black peppercorns, alongside vanilla bon bons and toffee apples. The alcohol is still there but does feel mellower. More air brings back those sweeter aromas.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the creamy mouthfeel, and doesn’t change too much overall, there’s brown sugars, caramel, toffee and chocolate. The alcohol has been tamed somewhat, but it’s still fairly punchy.

Conclusion

 It’s a solid bourbon Speysider, exactly what we wanted from this bottling. It’s got all of the typical sweet vanillas, caramels and fudge flavours in good balance, although it can be a bit warm in places. It’s not the most complex whisky but it’s one that we enjoy drinking. It benefits from some air to open it up.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

This feels pricey for a 14yo. We’re assuming the cask was expensive because Woodrow’s usually offer better value.

Woodrows Cuban Rum 45yo Cask #2406401

Region: Cuba

ABV: 58.4%

Price: £275.00

Distilled on the 31st of December 1978, this release was matured in a barrique.. It was bottled on the 22nd of August 2024, with a total of 261 bottles released.

Nose

The nose opens with apricot jam, ginger snaps, cinnamon sticks, lots of brown sugar sweetness and a little bit of vanilla cream in the background. There's a rich leatheriness to this, alongside some red currants, a little raspberry, and cocoa nibs. The alcohol is incredibly balanced, there's very little burn if any coming through on the nose, yet it's punchy and vibrant with the aforementioned aromas.

Palate

The palate opens with candied ginger, banana slices topped with torched brown sugar, cinnamon sugar doughnuts, alongside a tingly spice sensation. The spice is not overpowering, it melds quite well with the other flavours of date syrup, sweet oak, slightly bitter dark chocolate and cinder toffee. The mouthfeel is fairly viscous and the finish lingers on for a good length, mostly showing warm oak spice and a little roasted banana.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings forward a little more sweetness, alongside a bit of tartness, showing as zingy orange, it's a little reminiscent of an old fashioned cocktail. The aromas of leather, cinnamon spice and chocolate still make an appearance, and overall it's not too dissimilar to the unreduced nose.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate shows more citrus, we're getting more orange and vanilla coming through. The spice is a touch tamer, however we're finding the palate to be a little bit less viscous and it seems to fall away a bit quicker. Again, a lot of the same flavours from the unreduced palate are still present, but overall we'd say it doesn't need the water.

Conclusion

Lovely Caribbean rum, it's a joy to be able to try something with this amount of age and the maturation really shows, giving it enormous amounts of flavour and aroma. We're not experts on rum by any means, but this bottle is something that we can't help but think most spirit drinkers would enjoy.

Score: 8/10

Value

Yes, it is expensive, but it’s also 45 years old.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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