Longrow 1995

A distillery bottling of Longrow, a 10 year old from 1995 and bottled at 46%. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is a family distillery that malts and bottles every drop on site. The whole process, malting included, is carried out by hand on the one site.

The spirit was distilled twice from barley floor malted and peated hard, and slowly worm tub cooled. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the spirit. At a youthful age the make is lively, salty and full of character. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, complex core over time. 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. 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.

At 46% it is soft, oily and coastal. Creamy vanilla and oak sweetness meets a robust peat reek over brine. It is rich and layered, the fruit and salt well matched. Salt and oily fruit see out a long finish. This is Springbank's heavily peated Longrow.