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Longrow 14 Year Old

Solid from Campbeltown

0 689

@MaltActivistReview by @MaltActivist

30th Sep 2014

0

Longrow 14 Year Old
  • Nose
    23
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    89

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Every time I write a review of a single malt from Campbeltown town I spend the first few minutes gushing on about how irrationally infatuated I am with this region for no particular reason at all.

But I'm happy to reveal that my fascination is quite justified. Barring a few bad apples (Glen Scotia 18, anyone?) it has largely been a parade of interesting and generally above-average whiskies to come out of this small region.

Specifically Springbank which produces three completely different expressions from basically the same hardware which I think is sheer genius - the Longrow being my favorite with Hazelburn as my least.

This, now sadly discontinued, 14 year old, has been finished off in sherry casks. There's not a lot of literature to find, unfortunately, and my research didn't turn up a whole lot. For example I don't know how long it was finished for or the type of sherry it was.

My guess is three years finishing in Marsala - largely because it has such a dry nose and palate. This particular sample is from an open bottle about a third finished packaged at a nice 46% ABV

Nose: Mild peat. Sweet perfume. Mild chocolate. Salt. Brine. Hint of citrus. Wet bandage. Apple cider. Brown sugar. Banana. Ginger. Starts of quite sweet followed by something coastal before finally settling down to a savory finalé. Lovely nose.

Palate: Medium bodied. Spicy at first. Cinnamon. Oak. Brown honey. Gets fruity mid-palate. Plums. Apple. Citrus. Pineapple strudel. Ginger. Salt. Slightly burnt. Not as good as the nose but good nevertheless. Evenly spreads over your palate. Gets dry towards the end.

Finish: Fairly long. Dry. Cinnamon powder. Wood. Lingers.

An accomplished whisky need not be over the top to tick all the boxes. Nicely controlled elegance.

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6 comments

@Pandemonium
Pandemonium commented

Two distilleries (debatable) one good one bad. Never had a bad Springbank before and probably never will. Springbank is one of those distilleries that you can safely advise to other people.

QUick research learns that there are quite a few different editions of the Longrow 14 out there, with various different vattings and finishes. Maybe they had a different edition every year. Any idea when it was bottled?

10 years ago 0

@MaltActivist
MaltActivist commented

Hey @Pandemonium - I know about the various 14 year olds doing the rounds, I just don't know much about this one. I believe this was the standard 14 till it was discontinued in August 2012. My sample is from an early 2012 bottling.

Basically the same as in the picture.

10 years ago 0

R
Rigmorole commented

You've sung the praises of a largely unsung whisky. I like the tune of Longrow 14, as well. A "go-to" in the past for me, as they say, especially in winter time. I'm not a big fan of really young Longrows. They begin to taste like tequila. The 14 was a very nice age for Longrow. Ten can sometimes seem a bit on the young side. It's worth noting that even when it comes to Bruichladdich, the PC10 cask strength sold out faster than any of its younger brothers. Personally, I would like to taste a PC14 aged in some interesting casks. As for Longrow, the little casks seem interesting at a younger age, due to a different sort of aging that takes place. I would really be curious to taste the Rundlets and Kinderkins.

10 years ago 0

R
Rigmorole commented

I think I got it mixed up with the word "kindergarten." It's interesting how some Scottish words sounds almost German, such as Auchentoshan. I think the word kindergarten must be German.

10 years ago 0

@Ol_Jas
Ol_Jas commented

I've never heard anyone say that German and Gaelic are closely related, but it would make sense, right? Both from north central European roots. I've always assumed they're related but I probably oughtn't.

10 years ago 0