To me the Longrow Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky is more than just a whisky. It’s a symbol of not only how whisky used to be done, but also symbolic of an ethos of how it should be done. Springbank is one of 2 distilleries (Kilchoman being the second) who do their own malting, kilning and milling on premise. Most distilleries in Scotland get their malt delivered from places like Port Ellen Maltings, but Springbank still utilizes their own hand tilled malting floor.
The handmade aspect of their whisky is a nod to the way whisky was done many many years ago, which is fantastic and awesome, but it’s really their bottling ethos that I wish more whisky companies would adopt. Springbank (hence Longrow) never chill-filteres their whisky nor do they ever add caramel coloring to their whisky before bottling. The only thing that ever gets added is water and that right there is how all whisky should be bottled in my opinion. Cask Strength is always a plus, but really getting rid of the chill-filtering and caramel coloring are the two main keys.
Longrow Campbeltown Single Malt Review
Distiller: Springbank
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Price: $55
Non Chill-Filtered
Natural Color
EYE
Golden honey
NOSE
Peat, orchard fruit, honey and spice move about and up the nostrils followed by subtle notes of graham, vanilla and malty sweetness. I’m really enjoying the nose on this one and I just want to sniff and sniff and sniff.
PALATE
The peat is even stronger on the palate as is the vanilla, honey and fruit. The spice is a little bit lower, with a buttercream frosting sweetness moving in over it. There is a slight bit of grassy hay and citrus, but they’re very light notes.
FINISH
A nice long fade of peat, honey, wood and hay with a bit of sweetness kicking up here and there.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance on this whisky with everything working together. A medium body with a texture that’s like a well worn dirt road; mostly smooth with only a minor bit of roughness.
OVERALL
The nose is s fruity peaty wonderland, the palate mimics the nose with a touch of spice and it finishes out in long slow drawl of peat with sweet and rustic flavors poking through. In other words, it’s a great whisky. I really enjoy everything about it and Springbank, for me, is one of those distilleries that I have enjoyed everything I’ve had from them. They just make good whisky and this is a great example of that.
SCORE: 88/100
