LONGROW - IS IT REALLY THAT SPECIAL ?

[Deactivated Member]

Whilst up in Edinburgh, I noticed that several specialist shops had a heavily-peated Springbank variant called "Longrow".

It was around £38-£40 for a 70cl bottle at 40%. This struck me as quite a lot for a 10 year old.

Is "Longrow" worth the money ? If so, why ?

[Admiral]

First of all, bear in mind that Springbank itself is a much sought after dram, and demand often exceeds supply. So in regular Springbank, you already have a very respected & (usually) high-scoring whisky, that can be hard to come by. This is a recipe for higher prices.

So when the distillery then changes its production configuration & malt bill for just one month of the year to produce a different whisky (i.e. Longrow), you can imagine that this is a particularly rare & exclusive dram. Now good quality peated whiskies are in huge demand - there's only so much Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, & Bowmore to go around. So - once again - when a great tasting peaty alternative turns up in small quantity for a short period each year, the bottler can charge a higher price, knowing that the market will bear it.

So - after all that - is it worth it? IMHO: Yes!

If Longrow tasted unpleasant, or bland, or just plain ordinary, then it wouldn't hold any appeal in the market place, and people certainly wouldn't pay the higher price for it.

[Lawrence]

Admiral, that was well said. I've tasted the Longrow Sherry cask 10 year old and it is one of my favourites. I really like a sherried smokey dram and Longrow Sherry cask fits the bill to a "T".

[Admiral]

Lawrence,

Have you tried the Ardbeg Uigedal yet?

Whilst the sherry isn't blatantly obvious, there's enough of it in the vatting to add a sweetness which, when combined with the enormous peatiness of the Ardbeg, creates a tantalising dram.

This is also why I enjoy the regular Lagavulin 16yo, and particularly the Lagavulin Distillers Editions, since the "sherried smokey" drams are so tasty and complex.

Haven't tried the Longrow Sherry cask yet, but your post has encouraged me to put it on the shopping list!

[Stephen]

Longrow 1993 10 Years Old

Nose: Fresh peat flavours
Palate:Fresh peat flavours and lovely sweet in style of young Springbank
Finish:Sweet, salty.Astonishingly long and huge."

I enjoy it very much,simple but balance.The only shortcoming is a little expensive, but is worth trying.

[BruceCrichton]

I had a cask strength Longrow from Cadenhead's in September 2002 which was 9 years old and about 55% vol. It was excellent and with just a drop of water, freshened considerably.

With this one, there are clearly some very heavy elements waiting to dissolve in the water.

If you can get a cask strength Longrow, and it will probably be from Cadenhead's, then get it and let us know what you think of it.

[Ian_Hamilton]

I held a whisky tasting with 10 different whiskies (including some that were considerably older and more expensive than Longrow) and the Longrow 10 came out on top. Very good and well worth the extra cost!