“Dirty Dancing with Muddy Waters”
Whisky Review # 981
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Campbeltown
Brand: Longrow
Distilled at: Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Bottled in 2019 - 3600 Bottles - Limited Edition
Distilled at: Springbank Distillery, Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Bottled in 2019 - 3600 Bottles - Limited Edition
Age: 21 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex-Sherry Casks (60%) and Ex-Bourbon Casks (40%)
Chill Filtration: No
Maturation: Ex-Sherry Casks (60%) and Ex-Bourbon Casks (40%)
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 450-600 (March 2023)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Very Expensive. Should have been bottled at Cask Strength
Buying Advice: 😋 Delicious Dirty Campbeltown for those rare occasions!
Colour: Amber (Natural Color)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Very Expensive. Should have been bottled at Cask Strength
Buying Advice: 😋 Delicious Dirty Campbeltown for those rare occasions!
Colour: Amber (Natural Color)
Nose:
Lovely "Dirty" Campbeltown with a mix that includes Burnt Matches, Mud, Petrol and Sulphur. The Sulphur is okay though unless you are allergic to that stuff. Restraint Smoke and Peat that comes as a bit of a surprise. The Sherry cask influence is very clear. The Alcohol is sufficiently integrated. Mostly Sweet but with sufficient Sour, Salty and Funky notes to keep it interesting. Not your average Mainstream Malt of course but I like it despite the fact that it's a little on the Thin side.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Straw, Sour Berries like Strawberries and Red Currants, Citrus Peel (Lemon, Grapefruit, Mandarin), Wet Dirty Muddy Peat, Factory Smoke, Charred Oak, Dunnage Warehouse, Wet Rocks, Dark Chocolate, Burnt Matches, Leather, Pepper, Cinnamon ,Cloves and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Honey, Toffee, Resin, Tropical Fruit Mix (Banana, Mango, Nectarine), Bounty Bars, Dusty Old Books and Furniture, Mix of Dried Fruits and Nuts (Apricot, Raisin, Almond, Plum), Smoked Meat/Fish sprinkled with Herbs and Olive Oil, Forrest Floor, Nougat, Tobacco, Soot, Licorice, Aniseed, Petrol and traces of Varnish, PVC Pipes, Rubber, Wood Polish and Munster Cheese.
Toasted Barley, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Straw, Sour Berries like Strawberries and Red Currants, Citrus Peel (Lemon, Grapefruit, Mandarin), Wet Dirty Muddy Peat, Factory Smoke, Charred Oak, Dunnage Warehouse, Wet Rocks, Dark Chocolate, Burnt Matches, Leather, Pepper, Cinnamon ,Cloves and Mint.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Honey, Toffee, Resin, Tropical Fruit Mix (Banana, Mango, Nectarine), Bounty Bars, Dusty Old Books and Furniture, Mix of Dried Fruits and Nuts (Apricot, Raisin, Almond, Plum), Smoked Meat/Fish sprinkled with Herbs and Olive Oil, Forrest Floor, Nougat, Tobacco, Soot, Licorice, Aniseed, Petrol and traces of Varnish, PVC Pipes, Rubber, Wood Polish and Munster Cheese.
The Sweet/Sour/Salty/Dirty/Muddy Mix very nicely coats your mouth and throat. It's quite satisfying. Peat and Smoke are certainly more present now. The Alcohol is nicely integrated but a slightly higher ABV would have been even better. Everything that Springbank produces has this Oily old-fashioned feeling to it and I'm a big fan!
Main Flavours:
Toasted Malt, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Sour Berries (Strawberry, Raspberry), Citrus Peel (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit), Earthy & Muddy Peat, Factory Smoke, Brine, Ashes, Soot, Tar, Hospital, Charred Oak, Dunnage, Smoked Bacon, Leather, Farm, Warm Banana sprinkled with Nutmeg & Cinnamon, Pepper, Ginger, Cloves and Dried Herbs.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Toffee, Honey, Wax, Resin, Mix of Nuts, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate flakes, Old Books, Tobacco, Wet Rocks, Aniseed, Licorice, Espresso/Black Tea & traces of Wall-Paper Starch, Slivovitz, PVC Pipes and Dyon Mustard.
Toffee, Honey, Wax, Resin, Mix of Nuts, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate flakes, Old Books, Tobacco, Wet Rocks, Aniseed, Licorice, Espresso/Black Tea & traces of Wall-Paper Starch, Slivovitz, PVC Pipes and Dyon Mustard.
Middle-Long. Dirty but in a nice way. It's like licking a Petrol Pump! Mainly Sweet but with Sour, Salty and Funky notes for company. A light Bitterness towards the Medium Dry/Dry end. Smoke & Peat are more noticeable at this point. The Sulphur is there but okay. I find Toasted Malt, Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Dirty Earthy Peat, Factory Smoke, Hospital, Soot, Ashes, Tar, Brine, Sour Red Berries and Cherries, Dusty Casks in a Dunnage Warehouse, Mixed Nuts and Dried Fruits, Citrus Peel (Orange, Grapefruit), Grilled Pineapple, Leather, Tobacco, Strong Espresso/Black Tea, Smoked Bacon, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves, Mint , Licorice and traces of Slivovitz, PVC Pipes, Rubber, Petrol and Wall-Paper Starch.
Drinking Advice:
This Longrow does not improve with added Water.
This Longrow does not improve with added Water.
Rating: 8.5 (********1/2)
Nose: 8.5 - Taste: 8.5 - Finish: 8.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note did not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. As a result I have decided to use a new rating system this year. I will still give a rating for Nose, Taste and Finish but now on the scale from 1-10 whereby 1 represents the worst and 10 the best. The sum of these numbers will be divided by 3 to get the final score. I hope this new scoring makes it easier for you to understand what I thought about the whisky I'm reviewing.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink. Please let me know what you think of the new rating system and leave your comments and/or suggestions.
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. Longrow represents around 10% of the total Springbank production that currently amounts to 280.000 litres.
This is not your everyday " to go to" Whisky. It's probably a little too Dirty for that. But it somehow tastes like Old School Whisky and I really like to enjoy this type of Single Malt from time to time. It's very expensive and at this price level it should have been bottled on or near Cask Strength. It would have helped the Nose that's a bit on the Thin side. Still, I love Whisky like this because there's so much to discover. If you have the opportunity, go for it. I can safely recommend it if you like the Aroma/Flavour profile and are tired of today's Mainstream stuff.
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende March 9, 2023
Jan van den Ende March 9, 2023
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