The whole tasting notes thing has ultimately become silly to me. I cannot get other people's notes. I cannot even get my own notes from earlier. Ultimately, whisky notes are prisoners to the moment in time; once past, cannot be recreated, even from the exact same bottle. They are like a personal journal; useless things, unless you are a stalker. Going forward, if you care, I'm only going to put up reviews, without much in the way of notes, of bottles that I purchase and finish. The main goal will be to offer an opinion on whether or not you should buy the bottle, and also to remind myself on whether or not to restock the bottle. Of course, the first bottle I finished with this new approach is not on Distiller. Bottle purchased on ?/?/17, and killed on 12/10/18 Springbank OB Longrow Red Fresh Pinot Noir Casks 12 years old 52.9% ABV Bottled in 2015 Limited release of 9000 bottles Price: 90 USD. I purchased a second bottle for $110. There is a definite sharp pinot noir influence, especially on a freshly opened bottle. The wine is not completely integrated with the whisky, which is not necessarily a flaw, as it adds to the excitement. The ashy smoke adds to the complexity. Tart and sweet fruit jams battle with the dank, earthy peat of Longrow. Creamy mouthfeel. Medium and complex linger with tobacco and fruits. This is not a traditional single malt; not the smoothest, or most balanced; but it's delicious, and memorable. Rating (price not factored): 92 / 100 Purchase satisfaction (price factored): 4 / 5
About this bottle
This heavily peated malt was first aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 7 years before it spent its last 4 years maturing in former cabernet sauvignon hogsheads. It is bottled at 104 proof.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 9 parsed reviews.
Had a pour of this over the weekend while watching Mowgli on Netflix with the kids. Should’ve had something stronger...the damn snake Kaa kept my 6 yr old waking up through the night with nightmares. I never understood Jungle Book. Read it as a kid back in the 5th grade, and in retrospect now, I’m thinking Kipling must’ve been sky high on something. Mowgli wouldn’t have lasted 10 seconds with those wolves and that gimpy spiteful tiger. And why would he have a loincloth around his private parts? Shouldn’t he be buck nekkid like his wolf brothers? Anyhow...this pour, which I bought as a TWE sample, is interesting. The wine is not integrated well at all into the whisky. Feels like having a sooty Cambeltown whisky followed by a shot of red wine. A bit testy on the tongue, with the tannins still there from the wine. Glad I bought a sample...not sure it’s to my liking for a premium on these bottles. Note to self: don’t buy Longrow Red without trying samples first. And don’t let a 6 yr old watch movies with murderous tigers, kidnapping monkeys, and psychotic hyenas.
I love this dram. The nose brings gentle smoke, a little earthy peat and strong berry or red jam notes. The palate takes a quick turn into peat, malt, and a bit of brine, only to relax into cooked brown sugar, older oak, and deeper fruit like fig or date. The finish continues into the evening with mostly smouldering peat. Not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy peat and stronger Scotch, this should be on your list.
Nose: smoky, strawberry, raspberry, woody, slightly medicinal Palate: the usual briny and salty notes of a longrow. smoke well-balanced with sweet, buttery notes. Flowery, hints of dark fruit but again much more floral and more subtle than a sherried whisky. Tart, Woody and spicy. Rich apple. Strawberries and cream. Body: rich but not oily or viscous. Full. Finish: long, woody, hints of apple and berry. Robust.
This review is on the Australian Shiraz Cask 11 Year ... Sweet and smokey on the nose with a long lasting oak and very strong peat taste throughout ... The best Campbeltown I have by far - highly recommend if you can find
I had the Longrow 12 Pinot Noir cask ($90) at Block in 9/16. Owner of C&B really liked it. I loved it too - about peat level of Caol Ila but sweeter richer backbone
3 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.