Today Longrow by Angus and Nick Cave by Nick


November 23, 2024

Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland

Today… we Longrow!

Inspired by my previous session with Springbank, I felt we should continue and vanquish all the outstanding Longrow samples. I love Longrow, a lot! When at its best, I believe it remains one of the most distinctive malts in Scotchland, however, I think it’s also one of the most easily scramble-able makes as well - all you need is some unlikely wine cask and you have the makings of some very expensive vegetable stock! Anyway, let’s see what we have today, we’ll try to do this in order of theoretical potency, rather than by age or vintage, for once.

Longrow 1987 (46%, Kirsch Import, cask #120, 360 bottles)
Not sure when this one was bottled, but I think safe to assume young, probably around 8yo. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: ink, printer paper, mud, wet leaves, damp bonfires, coal soot, a hint of geraniums. Characterful but youthful distillate, no doubt. Gives a little waxy and sheep wool impression and, with time, gains a more pronounced coastal side. Mouth: much better with a more vividly ‘Longrow’ personality now. Nicely chunky and peppery peat, lots of drying and crisp coastal impressions, citrus rinds, coal smoke, tar and a few gentle medicinal qualities such as bandages and ointments. Finish: good length, a big, drying smokiness, warming peaty flavours and seawater. Comments: the nose was a tad uncertain, but everything arrived in its place on the palate. Reminds me of some much later, very quaffable batches of Longrow CV in some ways.
SGP: 465 - 88 points.

Longrow 16 yo (46%, OB for Spanish market, SC999, screw cap, 75cl, +/-1990)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: much lighter than expected and very lemony at first nosing, really on citrus curds and liqueurs, but then the peat starts to unfurl, a very soft quilt of elegant, drying peat smoke, hints of eucalyptus leaf, white miso and sandalwood. Superb elegance! Mouth: once again, a very delicate old Longrow. The same sense of soft peat, but with a rather brittle, fragility to it now. Soft coastal notes, smoked sea salt, camphor, linseed oil, old rolling tobacco, dried herbs, lapsing souchong tea, wormwood - a lot of things all at once, yet still remaining very gentle with it. Some dried seaweed and bouillon broth too. Finish: long, but gentle once again, full of graceful peaty, waxy and lemony qualities. Some herbal teas and infusions in the aftertaste. Comments: There’s a beauty about this, which was to be expected given the pedigree, but there’s also a fragility about it which probably costs it a couple of points if we are being honest. Definitely a whisky which would have benefitted from a higher bottling strength, unless this one has softened in bottle considerably over the years?
SGP: 563 - 89 points.

Longrow 14 yo (46%, OB, rotation 07/141, pale vatting)
Meaning this was bottled in 2007. I remember when this bottling first came out, I purchased one from Loch Fyne Whiskies with great excitement, I’ve always had a big soft spot for this bottling since then. Colour: white wine. Nose: ahh yes! Impeccable coastal freshness, mineral peat smoke, pure tar, wet beach pebbles, sheep wool, lemon juice, sardines with parsley and olive oil and pure seawater. Mouth: fantastically powerful and pure peaty flavour on arrival. More of these big coastal impressions of sardines, anchovies, tar, pickling brine, seawater, camphor and soy sauce. Very salty in fact, full on briny, tarry and peaty mode! Finish: very long, fantastically on brine, lemon juice, tar, wet rocks, chalk, mineral salts and a tiny glimmer of aniseed. Comments: I think these mid-era batches of the 14 were this rather humble bottlings pinnacle, the earlier batches had much more sherry and, while very good, didn’t have the raw power and vivid purity of character that this one displays.
SGP: 366 - 91 points.

What about a pair of sherried 18 year olds…?

Longrow 18 yo (46%, OB, rotation 12/155, sherry)
A 2012 release. Colour: deep gold. Nose: that familiar Springbank sherry cask ‘accent’, which is full of cooking oils, groundnuts, mushrooms, roast pheasant and pipe tobaccos. It’s this combination of gamey, earthy and metallic that is so specific, but this gives way to the peat rather rapidly and it becomes much more ‘Longrow-esque’ with pure, tarry peat, crushed seashells, soy sauce, squid ink. Also lots of tarred rope, aniseed and camphor. Pretty brilliant nose! Mouth: the sherry and the peat don’t quite clash, but they vie for your attention. Lots of overripe oranges and spiced marmalade, along with natural tar, more camphor, tar, gentian, liquorice root and big umami notes of miso and anchovy paste. Big, complicated and powerful whisky - the sort of thing that only Springbank would release as an official 18 year old. Finish: long, very salty, umami, gamey, richly peaty and warming. Comments: I think the sherry does make this tricky in some regards. It’s excellent whisky, and some parts show glimmers of true brilliance, but the sherry brings a slight discombobulation at times. There are plenty other batches of Longrow 18 from bourbon which are solid 92 point material.
SGP: 466 - 88 points.

Longrow 18 yo (46%, OB, 2022 release, sherry)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: the sherry here is a bit flintier, leaner, more mineral and more on earthy and tobacco notes. It’s also a little bigger in terms of overall sherry influence than the 2012 I would say. The peat is perhaps a little more subservient to the sherry in that regard, lots of thick tarry vibes, camphor, salted liquorice and growing notes of anchovy paste, soy sauce and miso - these sherried Longrow can be really umami! Mouth: ah yes! Once again these colliding notes of roast game meats, gravy and dry roast peanuts, but with a more cohesive and integrated phenolic character and peat profile. Very thick, peppery, gamey, leathery and with many tobaccos, liquorice, pure tar extract and old Fernet Branca vibes. Finish: long, on herbal bitters, camphor, soy sauce and game meats again. Comments: I would characterise these fully sherried, modern Longrow bottlings as whiskies for your tumbler, whereas the bourbon cask ones are more for your copita. I love this, but they’re quite rugged, challenging malts.
SGP: 466 - 89 points.

Longrow 21 yo (46%, OB, 30% bourbon, 60% sherry, 10% chardonnay, bottled 2022)
Colour: gold. Nose: tar, coal embers, wet rocks, sheep wool, some candied fruit notes that also imply citrus curds and various types of marmalade. Maintains a good level of peaty purity and freshness, with a nicely building mineral character. Mouth: good, spicy arrival, but I feel this is a step down from the 18s. There’s a slightly jammy aspect and a touch of winey wood character that feels a bit out of whack with the peat influence. Some ginger wine, camphor, rusty nail cocktail, aniseed and resinous fir wood. It’s fine, but I feel like the gentle promise of the nose has been somewhat lost. Finish: medium, again a slight feeling of sappy wood, with green pepper, damp smoke and some funny rice wine impressions. Comments: the nose was promising, but the cask bill doesn’t convince on the palate for me I’m afraid. I feel like Longrow, for all its power, can actually be quite a fragile distillate under the influence of conflicting wood types.
SGP: 555 - 85 points.

Longrow 14 yo 2007/2022 (54.5%, Cadenhead ‘Wood Range - Wine Cask’, Sauternes cask, 246 bottles)
Fully matured in Sauternes. I’m not a fan of wine casks usually, but I have a soft spot for Sauternes casks, which I think can often work quite well with whisky. Let’s hope we are a long way from Longrow Tokaji wood… Colour: pale amber. Nose: soft, clean peat smoke and coastal notes. Some smoked fish, tarred rope, black pepper and hints of miso and soy sauce. So far, so good… With water: gets much more rugged, salty and tarry. More big impressions of smoked and salt cured fish, brine and aniseed. Mouth: the Sauternes is more evident here, but it’s all on spiced honeys, camphor, muscle rub, tar extracts and herbal bitters - all good in other words. I rather like this syrupy and concentrated style that still lets the Longrow peaty qualities shine through. With water: lovely notes of smoked olive oil, kippers with lemon juice, pure tar, TCP, horseradish and preserved lemons. Finish: long, very peaty, tarry, peppery, with iodine, gherkin brine and capers. Comments: not sure I’d have mentioned Sauternes if it wasn’t on the label. I like it a lot.
SGP: 466 - 88 points.

Longrow 17 yo 2004/2021 (49.5%, Cadenhead ‘Wood Range’, rum barrel, 210 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: no obvious rum influence, instead this is really limey and lemony and pure, with white flowers, seawater, grapefruit juice and paraffin. Rather precise and sharp in this sense, with some cider apple, chalk and hay in the background. Mouth: very coastal and sharp, with some great and playful notes of gherkin, kipper, tar, aniseed, coal dust and wet beach pebbles. That chalkiness is also back and begins to involve, bitter herbs, crushed aspirin and lemon juice on fresh oysters. A very sharp, pure and mineral malt whisky - it’s more Mezcal than rum in that regard I would say. Finish: long and very sharp, on lime juice, bone dry cider, sourdough and strong vibes of penicillin cocktails! Comments: I like it specifically because it tastes like a very sharp, pure and tightly coastal Longrow, and very little like rum.
SGP: 465 - 87 points.

Longrow 20 yo 2001/2022 (47.9%, OB for Springbank Society, six refill barrels, 1488 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re immediately back at that pale vatting 14yo, pure, crisp peat smoke, tar, seawater, anchovies, smoked olive oil, smoked teas and kippers. Also iodine, lemon juice, green olives and mineral oils. Recalls some of those 1970s vintages in some respects. Mouth: great arrival, a harmonious blend of pure peat smoke, seawater, capers in brine, lemon juice on oysters and some slightly fruitier suggestions of grapefruit and green herbs. I love this simple purity and vividness of personality. Finish: long, very lemony and brightly citric, some sourdough and yeasty notes, camphor, putty, lime, fennel seed and bonfire smoke. Wonderfully salty and peaty aftertaste! Comments: rather simplistic in some respects, but I just love this pure, refill style Longrow that gives the distillate maximum stage time. Beautiful purity and a glorious aftertaste.
SGP: 465 - 90 points.

Longrow 13 yo 1998/2012 (55%, Cadenhead ‘Authentic Collection’, bourbon hogshead, 306 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: gherkins strike once again, but with a really emphatic, thick peaty character, then pink grapefruit, smoked olive oil, seawater and very delicate hints of geranium, miso, spearmint and tea tree oil. Feels deceptively complex on the nose in fact. With water: evolves beautifully, with preserved lemons, bay leaf, cedar wood and camphor. Still with this really thick, slightly muddy peaty character at its heart. Mouth: proper Longrow, very in keeping with the 20yo, but earthier, rootier, more herbal and more fermentary. Lots of cider apple, sourdough, medicinal herbs, gentian, tar, aniseed and roast parsnip. Add to that a farmy quality that keeps growing, full on sheep wool, coal tar soap, muddy bog vibes etc. I love it! With water: superb now! Big, medicinal peat, very coastal, fat, waxy, syrupy almost in texture, smoked olive oil, salted almonds, tar, caraway and iodine. Finish: long, getting drying, smoky, full of ointments, sea salt, minerals and tar. Comments: I really think Longrow needs the humblest of cask types to show at its best. With these, plus time, it cannot be improved upon in my view. This lovely 1998 being one very good example of that.
SGP: 566 - 90 points.

Excellent, I think we have sufficiently Longrowed for one day. Big thanks to Cicada, KC and Andy!

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

Concert Review by Nick Morgan
Nick Cave and thew Bad Seeds
Glasgow Hydro, Sunday 3rd November

Billy Graham preaching at Wembley (Daily Mail obituary)

I am neither the first, nor I imagine the last person to observe that of recent times Nick Cave concerts have become rather like intense religious experiences, as if the one-time daemon of rock and roll has formed an unholy alliance with the man (or woman) upstairs. It all seemed to start changing around 2013 with the release of Push the Sky Away, when Cave developed a penchant for plunging into his audience (a la Iggy Pop), leaving a procession of fevered proselytes in his wake.

He pretty much sticks to the stage these days, but when he’s not at the piano he mostly leaning forward into the crowd beseeching them to follow his word. My last two Cave and the Bad Seeds outings (2018 and 2022) were in London’s Victoria Park (the All Points East festival), which had the feeling of a revivalist meeting. an old fashioned tent show of the sort my dad remembered the Methodists doing when he was a boy in Herefordshire. Tonight, at Glasgow’s Hydro (around 15,000 capacity), it feels more like one of those Billy Graham London Crusade meetings at Wembley Stadium (in the 1950s, 70,000 capacity). Who will declare the truth? Who will be saved?

Of course a lot of water has flown under the bridge since 2013. Personal tragedy for Nick Cave and his family. A global pandemic (nothings the same, right?). Three albums with the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree, Ghosteen, and this year’s Wild God (‘this masterpiece will make you fall back in love with life’ said Alexis Petridis in The Guardian). 2021’s Carnage, a remarkable collaboration with Bad Seed Warren Ellis, and my first IRL concert after Covid in October of that year at the Royal Albert Hall, a very memorable event simply for that, if not also for the astonishing performance Cave also performed a livestreamed and beautifully filmed solo show (Idiot Prayer) from the Ally Pally in the height of the lockdown in June 2020, which I imagine had more than a few of use crying tears into our medicinal martinis. Oh – and for the record Donald Trump has twice been elected President of the United States.

Outside the Hydro a group of flag waving protestors are expressing their anger at Cave’s longstanding refusal to join the cultural boycott of Israel. Upstairs in the peanut gallery one of them stands up (I note after almost two hours of the concert) and begins to rebuke Cave with a torrent of expletives heard only by those in the immediate seats – as he was led away by a steward he was followed by a chorus of ‘get tae fuck’ from the workshop of the world’s music lovers. By the time we left they were all away, no doubt at the pub.

On stage are a very hybrid bunch of Bad Seeds. Keyboards stalwart Conway Savage died in 2018, and due to illness induced absences bass player Martyn P Casey and drummer Thomas Wylder are replaced by Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood and sometimes Stooge Larry Mullins (aka Toby Dammit). Carly Paradis is on keyboards. Also on stage are longstanding guitarist George Vjestica, even longer-standing and towering percussionist and drummer Jim Sclavunos, and Cave’s principal collaborator violinist and guitarist Warren Ellis. Towards the end of the show Cave described them as ‘the best rock and roll band in the world’ – well I’ve seen numerous incarnations of the Bad Seeds over the years; they never disappoint, and always shock and awe. But perhaps driven by the intensity of Cave’s performance, and the way with back to the audience he urges them on, like a magician trying to conjure up some malevolent familiar, they achieve a level of shock and awe that, in keeping with the evening, is transcendent.

Nick Cave

The set begins with the opening three songs from Wild God (there are eight in total, all of which stand shoulder to shoulder with the older more familiar material), and then ‘Oh Children’ from Abattoir Blues, which might seem like an unlikely choice for a Harry Potter movie soundtrack, but no doubt it helped pay for the always lovely outfits the band wear. ‘Perhaps the biggest difference between touring with Radiohead and Nick Cave’, said Greenwood interviewed in The New Statesman, ‘is the sartorial elegance of the Bad Seeds. Every evening in our dressing room, we are presented with a rack of steamed and pressed suits, and starched and ironed shirts’ (for the record, and to maintain political balance, I should add that Warren Ellis got two pages in The Spectator). Behind and above Greenwood are the four backing singers Janet Ramus, T Jae Cole, Miça Townsend and Wendi Rose, the ladies decked out in flowing silver gowns designed by Susie Cave whose glorious singing adds a particular gospel feeling to many of the songs. But don’t get complacent. After Children the Bad Seeds launched the first unprovoked assault on the audience with the crescendo to Jubilee Street. They like a nice crescendo do the Bad Seeds; this is the first of many, each more visceral than the last. Greenwood described it (in the NME) as a ‘euphoric intensity’ – he’s not wrong.

‘I’m a storyteller’ says Cave to the audience, ‘It’s what I do. I tell stories for old people’. One of the most moving stories of the evening is Wild Ghost’s ‘Joy’ – a conversation between a grieving father and a lost child. ‘I woke up this morning with the blues all around my head,

I felt like someone in my family was dead …’. It’s hard to read the lyrics to this one, let alone hear them sung, without crying, but the song surprises you with its unexpectedly optimistic ending. ‘We've all had too much sorrow, now is the time for joy’ says the lost boy, and joyous is how the song ends. As I recall the Hydro listened in perfect silence, as they did for the eventual encore, a solo performance at the piano of ‘Into My Arms’.

Nick Cave

In between that Cave sang like a man possessed, danced and gyrated like Scott Walker’s singer with a Spanish bum, bounded up and down the stage from drummer Mullins to the worshiping crowd, like a man half his age. As Cave warmed to his congregation The Dear Green Place went from ‘Glasgow’, to ‘fucking Glasgow’ to ‘motherfucking Glasgow’ which I took to be the highest form of praise. Sclavunos caressed his vibraphone and hammered his bells. Mullins waved his arms and battered his drums and timpani. Greenwood, eyes often fixed on Mullins, powered through the tunes like an old-timer. Carly Paradis was mostly hidden and surrounded by keyboards, but occasionally took centre stage on Cave’s (Yamaha C7) piano. George Vjestica, almost motionless on left stage, played perfect acoustic and electric guitars and sang. Ellis was as flamboyant as ever, fiddle in the air, pedal driven guitars and loops providing a mesmerising background to the ceremony.

There are two songs from Carnage, ‘Cinnamon Horses’ and ‘Carnage’ and from the back catalogue ‘Tupelo’, ‘Red Right Hand’, ‘The Mercy Seat’, ‘Papa won’t leave you, Henry’ and ‘The Weeping Song’. If you know the material, you’ll know exactly where and when the shock and awe moments were in that bunch. And like I said, each one more shocking than the last. You do wonder quite how long Mr Cave and his bad Bad Seeds can keep this up for – there comes a point when all bands are supposed to slow down a little, but they all seem to be so driven that they just get better and stronger each time I see them. Long may it motherfucking last. - Nick Morgan