Longrow Peated

Beaucoup plus phénolique que fumé, plus intense et moins élégant que la gamme Springbank classique, ce scotch livre la marchandise quand je veux quelque chose de bien marin. Quelques accents de dentifrice mentholé apparaissent même aux cotés de la tourbe, avec une barrique toastée/brûlée en dessous qui ajoute de la complexité. Quelques agrumes de temps à autre aussi, avec un peu de cendre. Une belle bête à apprivoiser, avec sa propre signature, des malts bien soyeux et des barriques bien actives. Excellente expérience gastronomique!

Springbank Tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 February 2023. Whisky #5. Unidentified batch (importer’s label over the number, grrr!) probably 2022. Nose: Mild, sweet peat smoke with a resinous quality – like peat smoke and fresh-cut pine combined. Olive oil, sunflower oil, green capsicum. Briny, like the smell of a pebble seashore when the tide is coming in (i.e. fresh, not like drying seaweed). Adding water amplifies the resinous and brine aromas. Palate: Sweet phenols, grilled citrus fruits, mustard and cress, gristy cereal and fresh sweet citrus fruit towards the finish. The texture is slightly oily but crisp. Finish: Medium/long. Grain, brine, lemons with paprika and a touch of vanilla smoke. There is a lingering bitter/sour aftertaste. A good whisky that is often overlooked, I think, as being just a generic NAS, but it has a lot more to offer than that. This comprises peated, double-distilled whiskies aged from 7-14 years and matured in a variety of barrels, but with the majority being refill bourbon barrels. It has a subtle complexity that takes a while to appreciate, but it is also batch variable, and I don’t think this particular bottling was as good as the one I tasted a few years ago at Springbank. That one took water a little better and I’d actually recommend this expression as a neat pour. I have a 2018 bottle of this from batch 25.04.18 18/210 in the stash and I’ll be interested to see how it compares (whenever I get around to opening it). There was a single bottle of this available for sale by ballot on the night, but at the asking price I probably would have passed if my name had come up. It used to be a bargain at AUD$120, but at $189? Nah. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars) --------------------------------------------------- [Previous review, from September 25, 2017] Scotland, September 2017. Whisky #11, distillery sample. Nose: Gentle smoke, citrus and tropical fruit, vegetable water, brine, farmyard, vanilla, caramel, petrichor. Palate: Clean and crisp but full, with subtle smoke in the arrival. The development brings ginger, earthy lemon zest, brine, developing smoke and flinty minerals. The texture is lean but creamy. Finish: Long. Smoky, briny and citric fading to a semi-sweet aftertaste. Adding water mutes the nose but does not change the aromas very much. On the palate it brings out more sweetness and smoke whilst restraining the alcohol. I’d recommend just a couple of drops. Longrow is double distilled (as opposed to Springbank’s other whiskies that are either 2.5 or 3 times distilled) and the malt receives much longer smoke contact during kilning. The peat used is Islay peat (other mainland distilleries use highland peat) but its use is restrained and gentle. This creates a subtle, well integrated smoke character that allows the iconic maritime, farmyard and citrus qualities of Springbank distillate to shine through. This NAS expression may be the baby of the Longrow line-up, but it is by no means an inferior or budget malt. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars) [AUD$120.0 per Bottle in 2018] ---------------------------------------------------

Pas vilain, mais pas à la hauteur du hype que j’avais lu partout. Drôle d’odeur pas désagréable qui ossicle entre le gas et la tourbe. Goût court qui ressemble un peu à un Highland Park mais nettement moins complex et intéressant. Bouteille de semaine, sans plus. Bouteille ouverte en 2022-08.

Nose: lovely ash peat, earthy, some dry fruits behind, bit leather. Palate: citrus notes, sour candied fruits, peat, smoke sooo nice. Nice finish, very very nice dram, love it.