The ninth limited release Longrow Red. A heavily peated Springbank whisky which has been matured for an inital 7 years in bourbon barrels before a further 3 years in refill Malbec barriques, from De Toren Private Cellar in Stellenboasch, South Africa. A limited-edition of 10,000 bottles.
Appearance: Between oak and copper. Almost orange. Fairly viscous, not as oily as I expected, based on previous releases.
Nose: Obviously smoke, lots of lovely sweet and meaty smoke. Dusty basement, leather chair and FUNK!
Werther’s originals, nuts (although can’t decide which!), faint eucalyptus.
The longer it sits, the more Werther’s Originals become dominant.
Palate: Not a particularly oily mouthfeel, the ABV is also more evident on the palate too. Dark fruits, icing sugar, maybe sugar cane (a bit ‘rummy’), red liquorice, foam banana and shrimp.
Slight copper and spent matches, custard skin, mint chocolate and stewed strawberries.
Finish: The finish short to medium and is actually fairly buttery and sweet with red fruits. A touch of spice and underlying smoke. There’s also some cooling menthol at the back of the throat.
Overall: It’s a great whisky, the only problem is that it has a lot to live up to, compared to the Pinot Noir release, and it doesn’t quite equal that for sheer indulgence and flawlessness.
There’s something missing, that extra bit that sets a whisky apart.
I’ll happily enjoy and finish the bottle and I think it will get better now that the bottle is open, but, if I had the choice, I’d take the PN every time.
