Longrow 21 Year Old Peated Scotch Review

By Randall H. Borkus

Rating: A

Longrow is named after a distillery that was once located next to Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland. The original distillery was founded in 1824 by John Ross and closed in 1896. The property was later incorporated into Springbank, and Longrow’s old warehouse now houses Springbank’s bottling hall.

In the 1970s, Longrow distillery itself was discontinued, but Springbank began distilling Longrow as a brand in 1973 to add a heavier peated option to its expressions. That peated spirit is matured in a mix of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry. As a brand, Longrow continues to thrive and contributes to the revival of Campbeltown as a significant Scotch whisky-producing region.

Longrow’s heavy, smoky character is rumored to reflect the whisky style from Campbeltown during its Victorian peak. Its particular flavor comes from the heavily-peated malted barley, double-distilled whisky and from Springbank’s direct-fired wash still and slow cooling through the spirit still’s worm tub. The malted barley is peated to 50-55 parts per million (ppm), which is much higher than the traditional 8-10 ppm of the Springbank expression. Longrow 21-year-old is non-chill-filtered, free from added color and bottled at 46%.

The Scotch
The nose holds a solid hit of peat smoke, mocha, blackberry jelly and vanilla. The front and mid-palate is rich, creamy and viscus with loads of mocha, citrus, coffee and a crisp apple sweetness. The finish is long and oily with a smoky citrus splash, smoked pineapple and a sea brininess leaving me with a satisfying amalgamated dry sweetness.

This is an excellent single malt that caught me off guard with its complexity and overwhelming mocha and fruitiness. If I am asking Santa for a special bottle, Longrow 21-year-old is at the top of my list.

The Price
A 700ml bottle is retails for $549.99 online and $599.00 at Binny’s in Chicago.