Springbank Longrow 2001 (53.2%)

This official Longrow single malt, a 14 year old from 2001 and bottled at 53.2%. Just 600 bottles were filled. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is run much as it was a century ago. It makes three malts: Springbank, the peated Longrow and the unpeated Hazelburn.

The spirit was double distilled from heavily peated, floor malted barley, then condensed through worm tubs. Ex-Sherry wood suited the heavy make, adding a dried fruit richness. Past a decade the oily spirit deepens, fruit and salt knitting with the oak. Years in oak deepen the fruit and the maritime character together. 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. Quality and tradition, not volume, have always been the watchwords here.

At a natural 53.2% it is full and oily. Dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask underpins a robust peat reek over brine. A coastal salt and an orchard fruit lift it. Sea salt and fruit draw out the close. This is a robust, smoky Campbeltown whisky.