Slainte-Mhath
Longrow 21 Year (2023 Release)
Single Malt — Campbeltown , Scotland
Reviewed
December 29, 2024 (edited January 13, 2025)
My bottle arrived in a damaged box, so I made a virtue of necessity and simply opened it. The nose of this Longrow 21 is stunning, there are countless layers. Quince jelly, orange peel and pipe tobacco are complemented by spent matches, sea spray and hints of soot. Wonderfully juicy, ashy and savory, the palate emphasizes tropical fruits, wood spices and earthy notes. Pineapple cubes, roasted almonds and whiffs of peat smoke sparkle in the long and slightly salty finish. Call it a guilty pleasure, I'm aware that this malt is too expensive, but what a dram!
RATING: 4.4/5.0 stars ≙ 90 pts → SUPERB [-]
285.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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@PBMichiganWolverine It’s just a rumour but I have heard it now from several industry sources that I trust. As for why, the glib answer is that Springbank doesn't have enough stock of red wine cask matured whisky anymore. This might be true. Longrow Red was launched by Frank McHardy (the master distiller) but after he left in 2014 they may have stopped acquiring wine casks, or at least decided not to focus on the Longrow Red line. Every expression was at least 11 years old and would have been put into casks before he left. The only exception was last year’s expression which was only 7 years old, so it may have been the final issue. Hopefully that’s not true and the range will continue, but I’m pessimistic.
@cascode some of the Reds were amazing, from what I heard…I don’t think I’ve had any . But any idea why they’re discontinuing?
@cascode Thanks! Most if not all Springbanks improve with some oxygen in the bottle, and I am in no rush to finish this bottle. I will meet @PBMichiganWolverine in Oslo today, we'll share some great drams.
@Slainte-Mhath Congrats on the 250 reviews here! I applaud your concept of virtue :-) Have a few drams to get the bottle down to 80% full then let it sit unopened for a few weeks. Cheers! PS - I believe Longrow Reds are also being discontinued as a species after the current batch.
Additional comment: My 250th review on Distiller! No one ever gave an award to sealed whisky, only open bottles reveal their secrets. 586 quicky hit reviews not posted on Distiller, 836 whiskies reviewed as of December 2024.
Additional information: Rumor has it that this was one of the last batches of older Longrow, Springbank simply does not have the casks to continue this bottling.