Excerpt: The finish wavers between vanilla custard and dry smoke. Adding water doesn’t seem to reduce the heat but it will bring out more lemon tarts and white pepper.
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House Review
Intro:
Longrow, one of the three producers under the Springbank umbrella of producers, is a Campeltown distiller that releases various peated expressions. This is their 18 year old release, which is part of their core line of expressions, though it comes and goes under a Limited Edition banner.
Nose:
Buttery and sweet. Caramel corn, salted caramel. Honey, apples and pears. Apple pie, almost, in that there is a nice bread-y quality (the crust), sweet apples and syrupy fruits (the filling) and some nice baking spices to round it out. Really nice overall. Not much peat in the nose, if any.
Taste:
Medium mouth feel. No real heat. Sweet cream, rich pepper and a touch of brine. Smoke rolls in - delicious ashy, burning wood, faint peppery peat. Mild rubber note, but very mild. Ashy all of the way.
Finish:
Long finish with really gentle heat. Peppery, lots of nice apple notes continue with buttery caramel and some tobacco. Really rich, grows drying but not bitter as the finish departs.
Overall:
This is a really great dram. Its complex and delicious while balancing smoke and dessert-y sweet notes with ease.
Score:
7
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources