Longrow 9 Year (2015), Distillery Cage Bottle Rotation 746
Whisky: Longrow 9 Year (2015), Distillery Cage Bottle Rotation 746
Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown
ABV: 57.1%
Cask: Fresh Sherry
Age: 9 Years (Distilled 23 Jan. 2015, Bottled 21 May 2024)
Nose: Barbecue smoke, charcoal, smoked pork, car garage, dirty shop rags, metallic, charred wood, dirty.
Palate: Medium-bodied, viscous, grilled summer fruits, bacon, dirty shop rags, old tires, asphalt, car garage, peppery, roasted pork and sweet chilis, charcoal
Finish: Medium to long with peppery spirit, musty earth, old charcoal, and a touch of sweet grilled fruits.
Score: 7 (85)
Mental Image: BBQ in the Car Port
Narrative & Notes: The aroma invited me to a backyard barbecue with charcoal smoldering in the grill, a pork butt in the smoker, and an old project car sitting next to a cart of tools and a bin of oily old rags. The aroma was dirty and meaty with hints of sweet charred wood, hoisin sauce, cinnamon, and salmon steaks on cedar planks. Medium-bodied and viscous, the flavor profile offered grilled summer fruits and brown sugar bacon with a backbone of dirty shop rags, old tires, crumbling asphalt, and an engine under maintenance. Meatier notions lingered further in with roasted pork and chili shrimp over charcoal. The finish was medium to long with peppery spirit, musty earth, old charcoal, and a touch of sweet grilled fruits.
During our time at Springbank, my wife and I were given the chance to pick a couple bottles from the special “cage” of “duty paid samples.” Typically, your choice is limited to whatever is in the cage when you walk in the door, but if you are at the distillery for an event, or one of their longer term programs, then occasionally they allow you to put dibs on bottles that are otherwise not available in the cage on a particular day. There are still limitations— you can only grab one bottle per week and things do entirely run out sometimes, but it is a nice touch when they otherwise have you too busy to queue in the morning.
This was one of the two cage bottles we picked up, the other was a slightly older rum matured Kilkerran. We deeply regretted not getting a much younger and funkier Springbank matured in sauternes, but had no idea how much we were going to want that bottle until a few hours after we had made our selection… alas!
Overall, this was no slouch either— robust and brimming with feisty young peat and big sherry cask notes, I found this remarkably balanced. The peat and cask came together wonderfully, with neither truly overriding the other. It was not a subtle whisky— but some nights you want that music turned up full volume.
