Longrow 1992

This Longrow, an official release, a 10 year old Campbeltown malt from 1992 and bottled at 46%. The Springbank distillery, established in 1828, is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. Small output and a cult following keep its bottles allocated and keenly sought.

The make was distilled twice from malt kilned over plenty of peat, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, lending vanilla and honey. Still young, the malt is oily and robust with a coastal lift. Worm tub condensing and an oil fired wash still build the rich, oily texture the distillery is known for. The spirit is filled to cask and matured within the distillery walls. Few distilleries keep so much of the old craft alive under one roof. Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world, with more than thirty distilleries at its peak. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town.

At 46% it is smooth and oily. Vanilla, cream and light coconut from the cask underpins smoke, tar and an oily maritime depth. Soft fruit and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. It closes long, oily and salty. This is a robust, smoky Campbeltown whisky.