Longrow, just Longrow
Not a 10 year old, but a NAS Longrow ‘Peated’. Seems to be from about 2012 or earlier.
As the esteemed reader would know, Longrow is the heavily peated double distilled one third of the Springbank triumvirate. The ‘regular’ two and a half-ish times distilled eponymous lightly peated Springbank and the unpeated lowland style thrice distilled Hazelburn making up the range available at the three-stilled Campbeltown distillery.
The story is a familiar one – Campbeltown was once the epicentre of distillation in pretty much the same way Speyside is today, but overproduction and lack of quality control, and Prohibition in the US, wrecked the industry, and by 1934 only Springbank and Glen Scotia stood where 34 once merrily operated.
Springbank itself sits in the middle of Campbeltown, and was founded as number fourteen in 1828. It’s modern buildings incorporates parts of other distilleries that had fallen by the way, namely Argyll, Springside, Reiclachan, Longrow, and Union. It is one of the very few distilleries to remain family owned (Glenfarclas!), and also do everything from malting to bottling within its own premises, albeit in modernized form. The peat too is cut from a location just outside town.
Springbank does have its fair share of devotees – unsurprising for a whisky of such pedigree, and fierce independence in the face of modern trends; It lives on as a redoubt of old-school style and is loved as such.
Longrow ‘Peated’
Nose: Ok it’s an ashy white wine, a little on the young side, but its got some minerals next to the clean white fruit (cut pears), some diesel and hot sand – more than a serving of calcium – and crushed leaves. Like a spirity stern white.
Palette: Brine, and peatsmoke. Immediately lime in a granite mortar, thrown in some bitter herb leaves, to create a potion to wash down a musty gamy/medical note.
Finish: On the short side, ashy and dry and quite pristine after a few moments.
It’s not that I don’t like these old school elements, but it doesn’t seem to come together very well, and it’s obviously young spirit. The same flavours rearranged with a bit of age would have been fantastic. Could that be the 10?
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