Longrow Red 13 Year Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Matured

After trying the Longrow Peated, I had to taste the sample that @ctbeck11 provided of the Longrow Red 13 year to compare while it was still fresh in my mind to see what the wine casks have added to the spirit. I’ve had a few different peated whiskies that have been aged in wine casks and all of them have been outstanding, but all were from Islay, so time to dive into Campbeltown’s take on it. The nose starts with a strawberry shortbread cake with bourbon caramel drizzled over it then comes sun baked citrus(orange and lemon), ocean sea spray followed by a faded old catcher mitt, dark chocolate covered raisins then ginger and oak spice with a light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a multiple fruit jam (leaning towards raspberry, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, and black current mixture) then bourbon caramel, sun baked citrus, ocean sea spray with light peat followed with mild heat and spice from ginger and black pepper that finishes long with those jam fruits mixed with chocolate covered raisins, campfire ashes and faded old catcher mitt that lingers for minutes. This is another incredible whisky from Springbank and manages to bring in those big berry flavors of the wine without overpowering those core Springbank flavors I’ve gotten used to and create a balance of the wine, sherry, and bourbon that harmonize well together. I liked this one so much that I decided to see if it could dethrone the Hazelburn 13 as my favorite Springbank product, but the Hazelburn was still my favorite. This is still a great whisky and one any Springbank fan should try if they get the chance as those dark berries mixed with all that Springbank funk, peat and minerality are just something wonderful to taste.

I have had only one Longrow before. The standard Longrow peated NAS and that was more then a year ago. I only found it okay but but since then I tasted a variety of Campeltown whiskies and learned to appreciate and like them. The nose already is very promising. A organic leathery peat hand in hand with vanilla & caramel and thick sweet grape juice, mushy black and red currants. Very present and rich. Strong and prominent punches on the palate right away. Super dry with the typical Campeltown peat. Dry leather, brown apples, fermented grapes. The finish let’s you grasp the red wine from the maturation casks. Also oak, lemon and burned sugar with brown butter remain. I like this whiskies characteristic honesty and its signature Campeltown DNA. It is playful yet displays its proud origin nicely. I like it but for my taste it is a bid too dry and the alcohol is really dominant. Water brings out a maritime saltiness on the nose, makes it a lot smoother and sweeter on the palate / finish but the dryness and alcoholic burn remain.

Big fruity hit. Nose gives off mixed berries dessert. Phenomenal tastes and smells. Hints of blood orange and turkish delight. A beautiful whiskey.

From a sample bottle. Rested for 30+ mins. First pass of Longrow. Love Springbank N(4.5).Earthy. Mild Peat. Good musty funk. Malt. Fruit basket - apple, ripe grapes, and a light tangerine. Cotton Candy. Strawberry Starburst. P(4.25).Creamy and oily. Salty. F(4.75). Medium. Creamy. Ginseng. Peat. Malt. Mild Pepper. Crisp Apples. Prunes. Bacon. Black Tea

Nose - Really rich fruity nose, one of the sweetest longrow reds yet. There's a very nice finish on the end letting you know these are wine casks and not some sherry cask. Light peat, touch of smoke, currants, aged wine oak, vanilla, and a nice somewhat hot spice finish. Taste - Opens with vanilla and sweet wine notes, then you have a slow drive as peat and smoke slowly build up as the oak (with wine notes) drive up. Rich with a distinct 4 different transitions. There aren't a lot of distinct notes here like strawberries or jam per say but a lot of just wonderful well balanced and yet perfectly out of balance to be a longrow red where big bold flavors are expected. I'm a huge fan of this series and the more I go back to this one the more I like it. 3.75 out of 5. Great stuff and well worth the 150 these are going for. Edit - a few more pours in and I got a try an heel to add that to my knowledge (my bottles still pretty full). Yeah I"m bringing this way down. There's a nice finish deep into this one, but it's just not that great. To confirm I poured a drop of the 11 cabernet franc red, and it's just night and day better up front, the 13 year cab does have a nice spicy finish that does make me think I'm being harsh but the up front is boring. Dropping this to a 3.25. Edit 2 I'm back to 3.5 and thinking 3.75. Really good stuff. My bottle is about at the 70% mark and it's really coming into it's own. The heel I had clearly got there way too fast!