Springbank is one of the most storied distilleries in Scotland, a land rife with history and legends centered around whisky. The history of scotch in general has seen a number of boom and bust cycles and Springbank is one of the few survivors in Campbeltown of a particularly strong bust cycle of when there were upwards of 30 distilleries in this town of a few thousand on the eastern side of the Kintyre peninsula that faces the Isle of Arran and is only separated from Northern Ireland by a little over ten miles of open water. One of the three current major brands of Springbank is Longrow, named after another lost Campbeltown distillery, and is their peated single malt that is twice distilled. The Longrow Red series is a yearly release bottled at cask strength. No two years are the same, as a different type of red wine cask is used to mature the whisky, whether or not any kind of finish is used. This Longrow Red 15 Year was finished in fresh Pinot Noir casks from New Zealand for four years after 11 years in ex-bourbon barrels.
Distillery: Springbank
Region: Campbeltown
Age: 15 years
Strength: 51.4%
Price: $139.99
Maturation: Pinot noir casks
Location: Campbeltown
Nose: Brine, lemongrass, fruit, tannin, wood, butter, honey, peat, smoke, tangerine, yuzu
Palate: Spice, leather, tannin, peat, black currants, lemon oil, vanilla, plum
Finish: Spice, wood, raisin, peat, sweet
Comments: While the scotch is fine right out of the bottle, adding a single drop or two of water can be enough to really open a lot of the elements up and bring them together.
Adam – The nose of the Longrow 15 is lovely, with the pinot noir wine-y notes intermingling with the smoke, brine and lemon that really make take me to Ardbeg in a way while still being completely different. There is some additional fruit buried there once you push past the smoke and brine but I have a hard time teasing out those subtleties. Or maybe I just love my smoked lemons, thank you very much. After it has been in the glass a while, the peat edges closer to the front without dominating. The cask strength is there on the palate. Without water, there is almost like a gap of taste, a moment of pause for the light kick of alcohol to hit you before the rest of the flavor blazes in. It’s not often I get that in a whisky and is not a feature I’m rooting for. There is a peppery element here on the palate and finish, strong enough to steal the show from the other flavors. A couple drops of water does wonders, thankfully, especially for the palate. There is still a spice element to go along with a few more tannins than I’d prefer, yet the citrus from the nose finally emerges and picks up some peat as the finish unfolds amid smoke. I was definitely expecting more peat, smoke and brine after the nose but then my expectations are dashed by a left turn straight into Campbeltown, where Springbank plays by its own rules. It takes some adjusting but this bottle has definitely grown on me.
Kate – Beautiful copper color. Oily. Wine, light brine, honey, buttery – like salted caramel on a well-balanced nose. It is like a beautifully balanced bouquet. Bill mentioned walnut wood and I can see that, as well. The palate is spicy, with black currants, smoky, bitter taste of the tannins, lemon oil. A bigger taste brings some of the butteriness, vanilla, plum. The peat comes back in on the finish. Big on the wine. It is a warm finish that hit in the back of my throat to mid chest. With water, it tones down the heat in the nose and becomes more mellow, more vegetal, but more like hay rather than mature peat. The medicinal quality is enlightened and THAT is not my favorite. The spice gets toned down a lot on the palate, though! The oak is more present and the spice ushers us into the finish, which is a lot more mellow. The heat is gone but my mouth can still feel the effects of the spice. Overall, it is lovely. I think it is trying to scream that CAMPBELLTOWN CAN DO PEAT, TOO!!!! I want to ask it to calm down and stop trying so hard. (Imagine this overeager young pup of a Scot announcing its presence). It’s good but it has not won this hard core Islay fan over. Slow your roll, Longrow! You are still not an Islay. I think I liked the fact that it was matured in an ex-wine barrel. Not something I would refuse but I don’t need to own the bottle.
Bill – The nose is like walnut wood dust. I could see this with some nice dark chocolate for a long time.
This would be a weird episode of I Dreamed of Jeannie.
Henry – Wonderfully layered nose, first peat, then winey notes and a subtle kick of sweet orange. A drop of water was needed to promote cohesion. Tannins enter on the palate, playing footsie with char, peat, and wine must. Black pepper on the finish over a woody core with notes of campfire smoke. Delicious.
Ben – This would be a weird episode of I Dreamed of Jeannie. I thought at first it would be too sweet to drink all night. But on further reflection, it’d be more of the tanginess. With the fruit on the nose and the cereal element in it, it is sort of like Fruit Loops.
Michael – I did like it. It wasn’t super wine-y for me. I don’t hate wine influences but I couldn’t spend all day drinking it.
Bekah – I was very surprised by how the nose changed from when I first poured it. Peated ones are not my favorite because of that Nyquil medicinal taste. It was interesting in tasting it, there was a spice peppery note but it went back to peat at the end.
