Before I rattle into today's review I've noticed for some time now that Blogger, the platform I use for this page, doesn't display photo's at full definition while in the main body of the review which frankly I find really annoying. I've since figured out how to solve this but this requires going through every post and resizing photo's which is really rather annoying. Bear with me and hopefully the site will be looking relatively decent again.
It's back to bonny Scotland for today's review and the heavily peated iterations of everyone's favourite Scottish distillery, Springbank. Eschewing the roughly two and a half times distillation for double distillation and upping the phenol level considerably, Longrow is definitely a different beast to it's highly esteemed brethren.
To up the ante a little more Longrow is released in a nearly yearly limited edition called Longrow Red (2022 seeing two bottlings, 2023 seeing none for example). Launched in 2012 according to Whiskybase, by and large these have all been matured in ex-red wine casks of some description with the outliers being the 2014 and 2024 releases which feature the use of port casks. I've stated before with the likes of Copeland that I think red wine finishes or maturation can be tricky to balance so let's see how the Longrow spirit can cope with lots of European oak and red wine tannins.
In the spirit of brevity I'll list the details of the four expressions on offer today before taking us into the tasting notes.
The 2019 release was an 11 year old matured in bourbon casks for 8 years before 3 years in refill Pinot Noir barriques from Grant Taylor's Valli vineyards in Central Otago, New Zealand. Bottled on 07/01/2019 at 53.1% abv there was an outturn of 9,000 bottles. I believe this cost me around £55.
2020 brought a 13 year old that was matured in a mixture of bourbon barrels and refill sherry hogsheads for 10 years before a further 3 years in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels from the Mont Gras' Intriga Estate in Alto Maipo, Chile. Bottled on 20/01/2020, again the outturn was 9,000 bottles but this time released at 51.6% abv. I believe this was also around £55.
Towards the tail end of 2020, 01/12/2020 to be exact there was another Red release, this time a 10 year old matured in bourbon barrels for 7 years followed by 3 years in refill Malbec Barriques from the De Toren private cellar in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This time 10,000 bottles were available at a cask strength of 52.5% abv. This cost me £59.95.
Finally 04/02/2022 brought a 15 year old that was matured for 11 years in bourbon barrels before a further 4 years in fresh Pinot Noir barriques from Grant Taylor's Valli vineyards in Central Otago, New Zealand. 9,400 bottles were available at a cask strength of 51.4% abv. This cost me £64.95.
All bottles are non-chill filtered and natural colour (please note the correct way to spell colour, life in the US will not grind me down in regards to proper spelling).
I bought all these bottles through Fairleys Wine's in Coleraine and I'm glad to still be purchasing through them, although I have to wait a little longer to collect them these days. Actually I look forward to my next 'in person' visit to Fairleys. I definitely encourage you to visit the store if you are ever in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland, it's a great shop not only for whiskey but wine and port too.
Let's Taste.
Longrow Red 11 year old Pinot Noir 53.1% abv
Nose: Extremely well balanced - lovely fruit notes off the wine casks. Red apples, cherries, cranberries and raspberries alongside maple glazed bacon and parafin wax. Sea spray, engine oil plus oak and honey flapjacks. Austere peat smoke and wood polish.
Palate: A great chewy and oily mouthfeel. The peat hits first then waxiness along with jammy red fruit - raspberry and cranberry preserve plus tart red jazz apples. This moves to salinity and tobacco ash alongside coal dust, maple syrup and pepper with a hint of clove and peppermint.
Finish: Long with smoked berry compote, woody spice, salt and walnuts.
Score: 8 out of 10
Longrow Red 13 year old Cabernet Sauvignon 51.6% abv
Nose: Red fruit leads the charge - strawberries, raspberries and red currants. Some citrus with orange segments. Vegetal peat smoke makes an appearance along with sea salt, vanilla custard, some cheesy funk and tobacco leaf.
Palate: This feels strangely thin in the mouth. Those red fruits of strawberry and red currant are there before that peat smoke envelopes proceedings. Then we get hit with fresh ginger and cracked black peppercorns. Becomes quite sour and tannic with a strong metallic element, old pennies. A hint of chocolate at the end.
Finish: Short and quite sour with dry ash and oak tannins.
Score: 5 out of 10
Longrow 10 year old Malbec 52.5% abv
Nose: Rhubard and custard sweets, strawberry laces and dried raspberries. Fresh vanilla pods, earthy peat smoke, cocoa powder and new leather plus some soot. Clove and cinnamon, even a touch of fresh mint leaf. Citrus too. Light oak and a hint of farmyard. A well integrated nose with some balsamic reduction too.
Palate: A surprisingly soft arrival that leads to a big tannin and spice kick hit on the first sip. Drier than the nose suggests - we get leather, diesel and rubber. More dried raspberry with creme anglaise. Strawberry laces again in the second wave along with ginger, coffee and some salinity.
Finish: Medium length with chalky minerality, black pepper, cocoa and leather.
Score: 7 out of 10
Longrow 15 year old Pinot Noir 51.4% abv
Nose: A mix of earthy and juicy. Mild vegetal peat smoke, hessian coth, tobacco and must. A hint of bbq'd meat too. Then juicy strawberries, cherry menthol and some salt. Smoked paprika and black tea.
Palate: Very, very subdued on the palate although it feels oilier than the 13 year old Cabernet Sauvignon. It's all about the smoke on arrival. The fresh ginger and pepper and strong oak tannins. Dry, musty and oaky....missing the sweetness of the nose.
Finish: Short to medium with kirsch and a lot of tannin and ashy smoke.
Score: 4 out of 10
Overall: As usual in Causeway Towers the exploration of whisky does not run smooth. Listen, anything that comes from Springbank is always hit and miss which is part of the enjoyment. The lack of computers and the abundance of humanity means that consistency is not a word that features much in the Springbank play book. I for one applaud that and I'm happy to ride the peaks and troughs that come from Campbeltown.
The two stand out performers were the young guns of this quartet, yet again proving that age in of itself does not guarantee a better experience.
The 11 year old Pinot Noir was just a superb whisky. Smoky, oily, waxy, funky, fruity....it was all going on and it was a delight to share this bottle with others too. Longrow amplified with red berries.
The 10 year old Malbec was another very good dram. Sooty, earthy with a good dose of fruitiness, this one was definitely worth the entry fee and provided plenty of character to dwell on.
Things went downhill with the older age statements. The 13 year old Cabernet Sauvignon expression had a lovely nose but the palate and finish were let downs. Nothing was distinctly bad per se but it wasn't over engaging either especially compared to the regular Longrow expression.
Finally the 15 year old Pinot Noir expression was just so much of a let down for me. I remember bringing this and an Edradour from Signatory down to the Three Amigos in Waterford. The lads ahd never tried a Longrow Red before and after the 11 year old Pinot Noir experience I had high hopes for the 15 year old. Sadly those hopes were dashed with a flat and uninspiring dram. Even after giving it a few months of aeration it just didnt come alive. In fact right down to the last drop I just did not engage with this dram.
As always this doesn't deter me from exploring more Longrow and I have three most recent Red expressions to pop the corks of now.....remember those peaks and troughs keep my interest!
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