Richard-ModernDrinking
Longrow CV
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed
October 30, 2016 (edited July 8, 2017)
Figuring it was time to expand my tastes from the islands, I decided to dive into an exploration of Springbank with this bottle that I discovered neglected at a Total Wine. The nose was very promising: big peat but with delicate undertones of heather. It started out nicely in the mouth too with a good balance of peat and sweetness, but faded out too quickly to discern more specific flavors. Unfortunately there was a slightly metallic aftertaste, a discordant note given the balance of flavors leading up to it. A disappointing experience that didn't live up to the ratings here or my excitement in finding a dusty bottle of this discontinued edition, but I plan to try other bottles from the distillery. What should I try next, Springbank fans?
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I second the 10 & 12 YO's. The only thing I'd encourage you to avoid is the cask strength version. It's a hot mess. Great review, cheers.
You can't go wrong with any of the Springbank bottlings, be it the 10-, 12-, 15- or 18-year-old expression. Longrow NAS expressions are the weakest malts of their product range, so no surprise this one didn't score 4 or 5 stars. If you haven't tried any of the Springbanks yet, go for their 10-year-old expression. Excellent value!
The older springbank 18 (black box without a window). Can't go wrong with springbank 10. You just have to excuse the sulphur vegetal notes. It's part of the allure. Longrow red Pinot noir finish if you're curious how Pinot noir would taste with peat and marzipan.
I'm a big fan of the Springbank 10. Have yet to try their 12 and 15 expressions, though, given the chance with how much I like the 10, I'd go for it.