Springbank Longrow 1995

This Longrow, an official release, aged 10 year old from 1995 and bottled at 55.6%. Only 7440 bottles were released. Springbank, distilling since 1828 in Campbeltown, is prized for its rich, oily, hand made spirit. Hedley Wright's family has kept the distillery independent for the best part of two centuries.

This was run twice through the stills from heavily peated malt, and condensed in traditional worm tubs. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. Still young, the malt is oily and robust with a coastal lift. Long maturation suits the heavy, characterful make, the cask knitting slowly with the spirit. 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. 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.

At a hearty 55.6% it carries real weight. Heavy smoke over brine and wax meet vanilla, honey and coconut from the cask. Beneath it run oily fruit, salt and a coastal depth. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is a tarry, coastal Campbeltown malt.