Springbank Longrow 1990 Cask #178

This official Longrow single malt, an 18 year old from 1990, drawn from cask 178 and bottled at 54.1%. The outturn was 237 bottles. A family distillery since 1828, Springbank is still owned by the Mitchell family, five generations on. Uniquely in Scotch, every drop is floor malted, distilled, matured and bottled on the one site.

The spirit was floor malted, peated hard and double distilled for Longrow, and run into cast iron worm tubs. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Around the mid teens the malt gains depth while keeping its oily salt. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its briny, mineral lift. The town and the sea run through every cask of the make. The sea loch at the foot of the town shapes the coastal character of the malt. Demand far outstrips the small output, and bottles are keenly chased. Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn each show a different face of the one distillery.

At 54.1%, undiluted, it is deep and powerful. A robust peat reek over brine meet creamy vanilla and oak sweetness from the cask. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. Sea salt and fruit draw out the close. This is a tarry, coastal Campbeltown malt.