”Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine”
Whisky Review # 936
Country: Scotland
Region: Campbeltown
Brand: Longrow 2013 Release - Bottlecode: 13/184
Distilled at: Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown in 1995/1996
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Bottled in 2013 - Bottles: 4500
Distilled at: Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown in 1995/1996
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Bottled in 2013 - Bottles: 4500
Age: 18 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: 2nd-Fill Ex-Sherry Casks (60%) and 1st Fill Ex Bourbon casks (40%)
Chill Filtration: No
Maturation: 2nd-Fill Ex-Sherry Casks (60%) and 1st Fill Ex Bourbon casks (40%)
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 150-250 (November 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐Okay at 150 US$. I wouldn't pay more though!
Buying Advice: 😛 One of those guilty pleasures to be enjoyed once in a while!
Colour: Golden Straw (Natural Color)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐Okay at 150 US$. I wouldn't pay more though!
Buying Advice: 😛 One of those guilty pleasures to be enjoyed once in a while!
Colour: Golden Straw (Natural Color)
Nose:
Nice and slightly Dirty. Just the way I like it. The Sherry Cask influence is quite clear and I do get a few burnt matches as well. The Peat and Smoke are quite subtle and remain in the background. The Nose is a mix of Sweet, Sour, Salty and Musty notes with a good amount of (Dried) Fruit and Herbs. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not bother the Nosing procedures.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Toffee, Heather-Honey, Fresh & Dried Herbs, Citrus Fruit like Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange & Mandarin, Cooked Apple, Dark Berries, Musty Charred Oak, Dusty Old Book Shelves, Dunnage Warehouse, Vegetable Oil, Nougat, Pepper, Aniseed, Mint and Licorice.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Earthy Peat, Cold Cigar Smoke, Forrest Floor, Dusty Track, Mixture of Straw & Cow Manure, Wood Polish, Wet Rocks, Brine, Hospital, Ashes, Burnt Marshmallow and Matches, Leather, Cheese, Pine Needles, PVC Pipes, Rubber, Tobacco, Dark Chocolate, Apricot-Flavored Yogurt and Ginger. Once in a while I get a distant hint of Banana Ice Cream.
Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Toffee, Heather-Honey, Fresh & Dried Herbs, Citrus Fruit like Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange & Mandarin, Cooked Apple, Dark Berries, Musty Charred Oak, Dusty Old Book Shelves, Dunnage Warehouse, Vegetable Oil, Nougat, Pepper, Aniseed, Mint and Licorice.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Earthy Peat, Cold Cigar Smoke, Forrest Floor, Dusty Track, Mixture of Straw & Cow Manure, Wood Polish, Wet Rocks, Brine, Hospital, Ashes, Burnt Marshmallow and Matches, Leather, Cheese, Pine Needles, PVC Pipes, Rubber, Tobacco, Dark Chocolate, Apricot-Flavored Yogurt and Ginger. Once in a while I get a distant hint of Banana Ice Cream.
The delivery is Oily but slightly on the Thin side. This is certainly not your average mainstream Malt and it might be a bit of an acquired taste for many people. It's Dirty as Springbank should be but rather in a weird kind of way this time. There's lots of Sweet, Bitter, Salty, Sour and Musty Flavors to discover but some are less conventional. Imagine an old dusty Sherry Cask filled with a witchy mix of Herbal Tea, Cough Syrup, Slivovitz, Orange Liqueur, Plastic, Rubber, Gasoline, Peated Brine and Wall-Paper Starch that matures for 18 Years. That's about it! Still kinda like it though but it's certainly not my favorite Longrow.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Heather-Honey, Wax, Cough Syrup, Brine, Herbal Tea, Aspartame, Mint-Flavored Bitter Chocolate, Old Books on Dusty Shelves, Vegetable Oil, Dusty Extra-Charred casks in a Dunnage Warehouse, Mint, Licorice, Pepper, Cloves and Ginger.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Cold Cigar Smoke, Dirty Earthy Peat, Hospital, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Mix of Cow Manure and Straw, Wet Rocks, Salted Bacon, Citrus Fruit like Orange, Grapefruit & Lemon, Slivovitz, Dried Fruit like Apricot, Sultanas and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Mustard, Tobacco, Leather, Plastic, Cooked Apples, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Espresso.
Vanilla, Cold Cigar Smoke, Dirty Earthy Peat, Hospital, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Mix of Cow Manure and Straw, Wet Rocks, Salted Bacon, Citrus Fruit like Orange, Grapefruit & Lemon, Slivovitz, Dried Fruit like Apricot, Sultanas and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Mustard, Tobacco, Leather, Plastic, Cooked Apples, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Espresso.
Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with a few Salty and Sour notes as well. This might not be for everyone. It reminds me of a mix of Orange Liqueur, Slivovitz, Plastic and Wall-Paper Starch. There's nothing Main-Stream about this Longrow, that's for sure! Medium-Dry towards the end. I find Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Pine, Salted Caramel, Honey, Vanilla, Cold Smoke, Dirty Peat, Cigar Ashes, Soot & Tar, Brine, Hospital, Citrus Fruit like Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit, Slivovitz, Dusty casks maturing in a Dunnage Warehouse, Dark Berries, Sultanas, Herbs, Licorice, Pepper, Ginger, Leather, Tobacco, Rubber, Plastic, Aspartame, Mint-Flavored Bitter Chocolate, Salted Bacon, Cloves and Espresso. The Alcohol is noticeable but it stays within limits.
Drinking Advice:
I added a little Water and that mellows down this Longrow. I can imagine that many people would prefer it this way. You practically sacrifice the Finish though. You can certainly add a few drops but personally I prefer it neat.
Rating: 86
I added a little Water and that mellows down this Longrow. I can imagine that many people would prefer it this way. You practically sacrifice the Finish though. You can certainly add a few drops but personally I prefer it neat.
Rating: 86
Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5
Conclusion:
The Longrow peated Single Malt is produced at the Springbank Distillery. In 1973, Springbank started a project that would try to produce a peated Islay type of whisky on the Scottish mainland. The name of the project was Longrow, named after the old Longrow distillery that was located close to Springbank. In 1990 the first peated Longrow appeared on the market. The Longrow Malts are dried for 48 hours over peat smoke. In 2021 Springbank will produce 280.000 litres of which some 30.000 are destined for Longrow.
You can call this Longrow strange, weird, off-balance, dirty and musty. But you can't call it mainstream and that's a plus in my books. Beginning whisky drinkers might not like this Malt as it's a bit of an acquired taste but I find it interesting although it's certainly not my favorite Longrow. That award would go to the Longrow 11 Years Cabernet-Sauvignon Finish. Springbank is one of my favorite distilleries but once in a while you will encounter "Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine" as the Doors said in the sixties. And that's the perfect description for this 18 Year-old Longrow.
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende November 101, 2021
Jan van den Ende November 101, 2021
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