Longrow 18 [2020 Release]

The Maker

Longrow is less a distillery than it is a brand. One of the three brands housed in the now world famous Springbank distillery in Campbeltown. There’s little to say about this industry darling which hasn’t been said in a million other places, so it suffices to say that this family run business has become one of, if not the most desired of all Scotch whiskies on the market today.

This is in part down to the quality of the products themselves, given Springbank is the only distillery left in Scotland which undertakes every aspect of production itself on site, and partly down to a strict control of supply which ensures that there are rarely enough of any release where they are most desired.

I do have a bit of 'a bone to pick' here. As anyone who spends time reading whisky forums will know, Springbank release day is madness. Sites sell out within seconds, and some sites even upload releases that have already been sold to their preferred customers. Yet it’s hard not to notice that Springbank products seem far more easily accessible in the US and Asia than they are in Europe (outside of Campbeltown itself, and maybe Glasgow).

I have also spoken to two independent whisky shops near me who explained that Springbank won’t respond to their requests to become suppliers. Instead they have to depend on brokers. So while this is for the most part a hugely impressive product, I’m not convinced that they are playing the market and their fanbase with an entirely straight bat and are instead prioritising those markets where they think they can drive future demand, rather than ensuring their existing customers are happy. I can't help but find this a little disappointing, but understandable to an extent.

But back to Longrow. Longrow was once the distillery next door to Springbank but closed its doors all the way back in 1896. In the years since Springbank has expanded to take over several of Longrow’s former buildings and today the original Longrow warehouse is used as Springbank’s bottling hall.

The idea for a separate Longrow brand originated in 1973 when Springbank wanted to produce more heavily peated whiskies in a more traditional, twice distilled style to contrast their existing non, or lightly peated two and a half times distilled profile. After several decades of experimentation and special releases it was not until the 1990s that Longrow became a regular and formal part of the Springbank release slate. This was quickly joined by Hazelburn (an unpeated and triple distilled style) in 1997.

Over the last 30 years Longrow has become a lot of people's favourite of the three Springbank distillery offerings (with a special mention to Kilkerran, also produced by Springbank at its sister Glengyle distillery) given its heavily peated character which places it half way between a traditional Islay malt and the rich oily refinement so common to Campbeltown itself.

The releases from Longrow are mostly rather hard to get hold of. There’s a non-age statement which does seem to last on the shelves a little longer than it used to. A Red [wine] version which appears around Christmas and is usually sold within seconds. And then the 18 and 21 year olds which tend to come out once a year in summer and are equally popular. All of which are released at least 46%.

The Expression

I found this particular bottle in a dark corner of an independent wine shop. Priced at its recommended retail price of £103 it was easily one of the most expensive things there so had been left untouched for some time. Indeed, given that this is a 2020 release and I got it as a Christmas present to myself in December 2021, it seems that it had spent a good 18 months in the corner waiting for me to arrive. I’ve since learnt that every annual edition of Longrow 18 is a unique cask mix so this one is now retailing at more than double that purchase cost. I’ve checked and sadly there are now no more in the shop.

The 2020 edition of Longrow 18 has a rather interesting cask makeup. It’s 55% sherry and 25% bourbon as you’d expect, but there’s also a 20% rum cask component. I have to confess I’m not normally a huge rum fan so I was surprised to discover this sometime after starting to drink it. Sadly, none of this information is provided on the packaging. Aside from that it fulfils the usual expectations of being 46% ABV, un-chill filtered, and of natural colour.

The Neck Pour

To begin with the nose is rather subtle. Lots of vanilla and clotted cream. There’s also a saltiness like pistachio in there which gives way to the sweeter honey and molasses. For a heavily peated whisky the peat seems rather light at this stage. That medicinal hint is there, but nothing more than a hint at the moment. Then finally comes a candied citrus.

The taste however is much more peat forward. But it doesn’t dominate. It runs through the dram harmoniously like an Ardnamurchan, rather than layered on top like some of the lesser Islays. That salty nuttiness is still there on the palate making the whole thing taste very refined and well balanced. Finally the finish is both long and pleasant. There’s even a hint of tarragon and almost aniseed on the very end. Really impressive stuff.

The Body

The peat smoke is much more forward on nose now the bottle has been left open for several months. The nuts and oils is also now much stronger. It’s becoming a very different beast to the bottle opened a few months back.

The taste is also a lot sweeter. Lots of burnt sugar but it’s that saltiness which holds it all together. The peat has almost inverted itself. While once subtle on the nose and forward on the palate I’d now describe it as the other way around. But regardless of this it still all balances out into something which works really well.

Final Thoughts

I'm really sad to be coming to the end of this bottle having nursed it for over a year and loved every sip. The final few drams have reminded me most a bitter tobacco with a strong hit of peat-smoke on the finish. Looking back on my initial tasting notes it's hard to believe this is the same bottle given how much it has developed over the course of the last 14 months.

Ultimately I believe what I’ve enjoyed most is its complexity. Each time I’ve come to it I've found an additional dimension of flavour. In other words, what I've found before has always still been there, but something new has also presented itself. I don't know if that the temperature, the oxidisation, or just my changing moods. But whatever it is, it has been a constant treat.

Sadly, I can't afford to replace this, but if you can, it's definitely worth a shot. I'll just have to keep an eye out for one of their Red releases.