Longrow Red 11 Year Pinot Noir Cask Matured

If I'd known there were so few reviews I'd have done this one sooner. Nose - So I get the springbank/longrow what I call BBQ peat. There seems to be and follow me here, a bit of a wet blanket going on and it's covering up some cherries that are starting to ferment. I'm getting a bit of vanilla oak. There's a sweet element here, almost a fluffed up marshmallow and baked goods element. It's really evolving in the glass. That blanket from before is gone and the sweet notes are coming out, those cherries however are still pretty far back and muted. Water brings out more sweet baked cookies and sugars. Taste - I've noticed with the longrow red's I find them a bit too hot to review though I love them at the full cask strength when I'm just sipping them. The peat, oak, wine, salts, and other notes are just too hard for me to pull apart. This is only 53.1 but it's got a kick. It's also only 11 years old so it's a bit young too. With water it's the classic longrow elements. That sea salt, campbeltown peat, some spices, cookies, savory BBQ, and I'm not a wine drinker so I'm struggling with the wine influence here. I'm getting some funk notes I don't associate with springbank/longrow that I'm associating with the wine. It's not the most enjoyable part of this, but it pushes the complexity and flavor transitions up to 11. They aged this 8 years in bourbon then 3 years in the wine casks. I think 2 more years in the bourbon would have done this one some real good. Still it's just good stuff from a distillery who can't make a truly bad whisky. This is for whisky lovers who want in your face intense flavors, like higher proof, and don't mind a bit of an alcohol kick. For me, I could use more refinement and I think a 13 year old version of this could have absolutely hit the perfect balance of intense longrow red with a bit more refinement. But what do I know? I'm just a whisky drinker who would take on debt if need be to get a new release from springbank (only partially joking). I actually have based on 3 bottles from them this year...and I regret it every minute of everyday!

Very very nice and a bit different

Great stuff with notes of peat, smoke, brisket, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, chocolate, toffee, and vanilla.