Longrow Peated

The Maker

Longrow is a brand rather than a distillery. One of the three brands housed at the much coveted Springbank distillery in Campbeltown. The internet is full of reviews and articles praising Springbank so there’s no need for me to write another one. Instead it suffices to say that the family run business is easily one of the most desired scotches there is, and that they have earnt this reputation through the production of some very good booze!

Yet Longrow was once distillery in its own right. It was located next door to Springbank and closed its doors for the last time in 1896. In the years since Springbank has expanded. In so doing it has taken over several of the old Longrow buildings to the point where the original Longrow warehouse is now used as Springbank’s main bottling hall.

That expansion and sense of history led Springbank to resurrect the brand in 1973. But rather than just use the name, they wanted to utilise it for the production of a different style of whisky to what they already produced. So rather than the lightly peated, 2.5 times distilled profile of Springbank, Longrow are always heavily peated and distilled only twice. This is a much more traditional style of Scotch and more typical of the Campbeltown region as whole. For many years Longrow releases were special editions only, but in the 1990s it became a core distillery release and has continued to be popular even since.

I’d go so far as to say that 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 that heavily peated character which places it half way between a traditional Islay malt and the rich oily refinement so common to Campbeltown itself.

As with all things Campbeltown a lot of the range is often hard to get hold of. Aside from this NAS release there is also an annual Red edition which is always a different red wine maturation, and then an 18 and 21yo. Rumour has it that 2024 was the final Red release with it being replaced with a new core range product next summer. The 18 and 21yo are also released annually and have a different cask make up each time. A few years back I reviewed the 2020 edition of the 18yo which was fantastic. Sadly the 21yo is well beyond my budget, but I am currently working my way through an older Red release that will follow in a future review.

The Expression

The Longrow Peated is the starting point in the range. As with all Springbank products it’s a batch release so there will always be some variability across the years. As such we know only that it’s a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry casks, but there’s no sense of what the split between them is. It also doesn’t have an age statement, but the best guess of the internet seems to be that the bulk of the stock is somewhere between five and twelve years. It is bottled at 46% and as you’d expect, is naturally coloured and isn’t chill-filtered. Most places in the UK will sell this at around £46.

The Neck Pour

Upon opening the first thing which strikes me is just how light it is on the nose. There's plenty of barley sugar, then comes the typical vanilla cask char which moves into classic straw and waxy lemon peel. It takes an extra few sniffs for the musky peat smoke that is normally associated with Longrow to come through. But once its there's it quickly comes to dominate. It's also a rather complex peat. Yes there’s vegetable and that medicinal note like a south coast Islay, but there’s also plenty of oily notes in there too that’s closer to Caol Ila.

Yet the taste comes the other way around with the peat smoke taking the lead. That rich complexity of a heavy peat is there, but it isn't enough to overpower the dram. The peat is quickly followed by plenty of sweetness in the form of icing sugar, which all weds together to create something akin to smoked crème brulee.

Taken together this strikes me as a very accessible and enjoyable dram. While it may lack the heft of other Longrow such as a Red or 18yo, there’s still plenty to enjoy here – especially if you’re looking to start your exploration of Campbeltown. Such a description is hardly a surprise given this whisky’s price point. It’s never going to compete with those far older and extremely rare Longrow and other Springbank’s out there. But it was never designed to do that and is instead playing to that entry level market.

The Body

After 8 months and half the bottle gone the peat is now the dominant factor on the nose. This is followed by a waxy lemon, vanilla and now even a hint of flower blossom and red berries.

The arrival is now much softer. The peat remains well integrated with the rest of the profile, and the overall effect is to dry the mouth like the tannins of a heavy red wine might.

Now it takes longer for the sweetness to develop on the palate, but it’s definitely still there and giving those icing sugar notes which combine to have the effect of toasted marshmallow. On the finish there’s also a slight sourness, followed by the bitter notes of toasted almonds. These latter notes all hint towards that sherry influence, but it isn’t coming across strongly in this batch.

Final Thoughts

When I first started exploring what Campbeltown had to offer this bottle was as hard to find as anything else from Springbank. Yet in the last 18 months it seems that demand for it has decreased to the point where it’s now a common feature on multiple virtual shelves – at least in the UK. That can only be a good thing for those of us after good whisky.  What’s especially good about it is that Springbank have not taken advantage of the recent demand spike (or anything else they release under 20 years old to be fair) by ramping up the retail price. All of which means that this whisky is still under £50 in a market which has seen so many extreme price increases in recent times.

As I finish the bottle there isn’t anything more of note to add to the above. It’s been open over a year now so had given up all the flavour and development it has to offer. Nonetheless, it remains an enjoyable easy sipper that it’s hard to say anything bad about. Hopefully the way the market has treated this in recent years is a positive sign that the likes of the Springbank 10yo will also be coming back to us soon in terms of availability. I can’t help but note (and enjoy) that auction prices for that release are now rarely exceeding retail prices. Hopefully those seeking a quick buck from access to stocks the rest of us can only dream of will soon be moving on to other things and leaving the good stuff to the rest of us.