Springbank Longrow 2001

This official Longrow single malt, aged 8 year old from 2001 and bottled at 58.5%. The outturn was 414 bottles. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is one of the last working distilleries of old Campbeltown. Uniquely in Scotch, every drop is floor malted, distilled, matured and bottled on the one site.

This was floor malted, peated hard and double distilled for Longrow, and run into cast iron worm tubs. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the make lead. At this age the spirit is vivid and oily, the fruit and salt to the fore. Sea air works into the warehouses, lending a saline thread as the whisky breathes. The open larch washbacks are a rare survival in modern Scotch. The distillery has become a place of pilgrimage for whisky enthusiasts. Kintyre's damp, mild climate suits a long and gentle maturation. The old town of Campbeltown once rivalled Speyside as Scotland's whisky heart.

At its natural 58.5% it is concentrated. Heavy smoke over brine and wax are layered with vanilla, honey and coconut. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is a smoky, maritime Campbeltown single malt.