Three Longrow


June 12, 2024

Three Longrow

I'm not quite sure what happened with Longrow. Twenty years ago, it was a blue chip, with versions distilled around 1973-1974, and then around 1987, which left you speechless with their greatness. These versions were at least on par with Ardbeg (of that era - though not the 1987 ones, of course). And then, perhaps due to the use of peculiar casks, either heavily marked by sulphur or very improbable ex-red wine casks, things seem to have gone downhill. Who still ranks Longrow among the top ten peated whiskies? Well, we don't have any recent releases to hand, as we haven't really been following them, but we do have this improbable little trio on the table.

Longrow 'Hand-Filled' (57.7%, OB, 2022)

Colour: gold. Nose : reveals enticing aromas of bacon, barbecue, a double-cheese Big Mac (if you can imagine), lamb meat, charcoal, basalt, Jerez vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sorrel soup, and English gravy. This immediately brings to mind those Bunnahabhain burgers they would prepare during Feis Ile, where we would devour around ten each in a single day. With water: notes of leather, sulphur, and pepper sauce emerge, though you really must enjoy pepper sauce to appreciate it. Mouth: it is heavy and very rich, bursting with liquid caramel and barbecue sauce, making you think you just need to pass the burgers. With water: flavours of smoked bacon covered in honey and caramel appear, along with a touch of ash. The finish is very long but somewhat stifling, featuring ham, steak, salt, smoke, honey, and a sweet-savoury sauce. Comments: it's a bit tough for my taste, though probably perfect for drizzling over burgers.
SGP:563 - 78 points.

Longrow 15 yo 'Red' (51.4%, OB, Pinot Noir, 9400 bottles, 2022)

Aged for 11 years in barrels and 4 years in fresh ex-NZ Pinot Noir Barriques. Pinot noir in barriques? The Burgundians would be up in arms if they knew and cared. Let's see how this goes, especially since we're fanatical about pinot noir, and see if a peated whisky and red wine could make any sense, beyond the obvious PT Barnum showmanship. Colour: apricot. Nose: on the nose, it's not too bad. It's not entirely coherent, but at least it isn't dissonant like a cracked church bell. There's a bit of rancid butter, game, cherry wood smoke, and plenty of green pepper. With water: you get that civet and mushroom note from the pinot noir, along with used brake pads and mop cloths. What would the Cistercian monks say? Mouth (neat): not the announced disaster, phew. That said, you have to like green pepper and cherry stalk tisane. With water: quite alright, really. Salty blood orange juice and green pepper, which is amusing. Finish: rather long, quite alright, or let's say that by the end, you get used to those tonnes of green pepper, ashes, and cherry stalks. Comments: as they say, you can put cats and dogs in a cage, they might get along but they won't make babies. That said, I'd love to taste that Kiwi pinot noir, but does anyone know which one it was? Does anyone care?
SGP:572 - 79 points.

The only way out...

Longrow 16 yo (46%, OB, screw cap, Spain, SC999, 75cl, +/-1990)

One of the rarest versions of the early Longrows (if we exclude the antique Longrow distillery, of which only fakes circulate nowadays). It's either a 1973 (most likely) or a 1974. Let's listen to the whisky religiously... Colour: gold. Nose: it belongs to those malts that are everything at once, making it difficult to dissect, almost sacrilegious. Soft peat, old citrus liqueurs, beeswax, old English cigarettes... One wouldn't go further. To be honest, it seems slightly fragile at the moment, but we remember that they weren't the best at screwcaps in Campbeltown back then. You need very good equipment to apply screwcaps properly, at least screwcaps that will hold for thirty years or more. Mouth: a slap in the face, there's no other word for it. The peat has transformed into citrus, like in the old Laphroaig or Bowmore we love so much, but there are also many honeyed notes, which is much less common in the Islays we just mentioned. Apart from that, it remains a whole, and despite the saline notes that emerge, one regrets a bit that this delicate marvel wasn't bottled at a higher degree. Finish: it's almost like an old sweet Campbeltown wine, this time with many aromatic herbs coming through. Lemongrass leading the way. The peat, however, remains anecdotal. Comments: it's quite complicated to taste legends, as you have to combine respect and honesty. Let's say it, it's quite wonderful, but it lacks a bit of oomph. Was it there at the beginning?
SGP: 652 - 89 points.

I am somewhat panicked; if the great Longrows of the early days start to decline, how will their greatness be remembered? No, no, no, our miserable tasting notes will be of little use. It reminds me of certain great painters who were using poor quality paints, whose works blacken because of the bitumen or, on the contrary, fade little by little. Tristeza...

(Grazzie mille, Tim and KC)

Check the index of all Longrow we've tasted so far