Springbank Longrow 23 Years Old (43.4%)

A distillery bottling of Longrow, aged 23 year old and bottled at 43.4%. The outturn was 210 bottles. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is a family distillery that malts and bottles every drop on site. The distillery sits in the heart of Campbeltown, near the head of its sea loch.

This was drawn off two distillations of heavily peated malt, with the spirit condensed in worm tubs. A Rum cask shaped it, lending brown sugar and a tropical lift. Beyond twenty years the malt grows waxy and deep, tropical fruit and salt over an oily base. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, complex core over time. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town. The maritime warehouses by the sea lend the malt its briny, oily depth. A 1940s Porteus mill and an open iron mash tun are part of the old setup. The Mitchell family has held the distillery for five generations.

At 43.4% it is smooth and oily. Brown sugar, banana and a tropical lift meets heavy smoke over brine and wax. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. A warming, oily finish lingers long. This is Springbank's heavily peated Longrow.