Longrow 18 Year

Subtle peat there for the ppm. Sweet, apple notes coming through. Tobacco smokey notes come through as it lingers. Peppery, spicy finish lingers for a long time.

Nose: pine wood / pine needles, fresh green banana, sweetness, pear and the typical Campeltown foundation. Medium richness. Later soy sauce. Sweet and intense peat on the palate, cream filled butter croissant, dark whole grain cracker, ramen noodles. The finish is a bid weird. But insanely interesting. Wow, what an experience. Mind boggling & mind blowing. Insane. Really something else.

So no one seems to be doing yearly reviews on this one, and while I KNOW they change, I don't know how much they do so lets just add this. 2020 edition. Nose - I just a few days ago went back to a 2014 longrow 18 and my first thought was "sulfer". 2020 might have some but it's not nearly as heavy. Instead I get a bubble gum level of fruits, a firm and very nicely stated oak, and red fruits that turn into springbank funk. A really nicely balanced and sweet play on the longrow and springbank funk with a balance of aged oak and what seem like quality refilled sherry casks. Slight copper metallic note at the end which actually is very nice here. I'm not getting a lot of salt or peat at first but there's a light underlying note of all that once I go back. A very balanced longrow 18 in a very nice way. Taste - light toasted oak, classic springbank funk, sherry casks, then fades into salt and brine then toasted oak again with a hint of that springbank barbecue I haven't said about many bottles lately. Really balanced through a never ending mix of wonderful flavors. What really sets this one off is a long and lingering finish. Really making me a happy camper. 108 UK price, but as we know this will be 200 in the states once we see it, if not more with tariffs. I really like this one though could use some more mouth feel as I feel with all longrow 18's. I've scored the other longrow 18's a 3.75 and I think that's a fair score for this one too. That said I do think this is more approachable than most.

I very very rarely do a double review of something. Out of 1000+ I'm pretty sure I can count on 1 hand the doubles. If it's the same but my rating has changed i either leave as is or update the existing one. The exception is if the whiskey is for some reason or another fundamentally different by design to it's predecessor. There is often variation in quality (hello any old Talisker age stmt) and perhaps a trend over time to a slightly different profile to age stmts (hello Laga 16). Longrow 18 however is a fundamentally different beast.. it's neither of those..each yearly age statement is essentially a limited release. So if you don't rate it that highly one year... the next it might be awesome. I purely bought this on the recommendation of @Generously_Paul and @ScotchingHard having tried it before 4 years ago and being underwhelmed. I had offloaded a load of bottles in my collection but kept a bunch i was fond of and 3 I had yet to try. This, Springbank 18 (ok 4 years ago at a tasting but I forgot what it was like) and Redbreast 21. Let's say I'm very glad I got the 2018 edition. Lovely pure sweet vanilla note forms the backbone, light peat, lovely wood influence. I like this very much solid 4.5 edging to 4.75 territory. Update: After much time with the bottle I'm thinking more 4.25 to 4.5. It got slightly more stringent and unbalanced with time whilst the Springbank 18 just kept going solid like the energizer bunny...just as controversially as the USA election I'm calling SB18 as pipping LG18 at the post.

It smells rich and meaty with plenty of smoke and meat and salt. The palate is not as rich as expected but it is quite smooth. Unfortunately, there is that awful combination of mineral and whatever else that produces gross bread. This is not enjoyable to drink. The nose is a bit like jerky but he body is less palatable. There is a hint of barbeque sauce hidden in here with a balance of sweet, tart, salty, and savory. The flavor is also just not rich enough. I much prefer the regular Longrow. There is something nice and creamy in here but the smoke and peat are definitely too much since they create that gross bread flavor. It has just the right amount of spice and the cream suggests oiliness. It's kind of rich but not terribly so and the rest of the flavors are kind of there across the board in a way that is balances and makes it a bit richer, but not in a way that makes it terribly complex. The bit of creme brulee is really the saving grace that is so delicious that it raises this up a few points. I could sip this, but it is severely disappointing for the price.