Longrow 18 Year Old

Exceptionally good 2018 bottling, but don't be mislead by 'heavily peated' description - it isn't. A fresh bottle has a slight peat reek, but after opening for a week or so the peat and smoke only exist in your imagination. Buy the entry level 'Longrow peated' if you are looking for a bonfire experience.

I did say this whisky was exceptional, and it is. Rich & concentrated: peaches, coconut, dried seaweed, complex and multi-layered. Seemingly changing as the level in your glass goes down. Nearest comparison I have is Irish (Mitchell's Yellow spot). Go on - treat yourself - Springbank always delivers.

28th August 2018

Bought this bottle in 2016. I think its good but not exceptional either. The peat is the secondary note on this one but nonetheless present. Typical of Springbank it is definitely well made high quality stuff but the palate might be a little subdued and lacking the usual robust character I associate with this distillery. Its between a 3.5 to 4 rating imo.

5th April 2017

Just opened this one. Oh my god! One of the best I ever tasted, this one makes an impression besides whiskies like Laphroaig 18!

Fruity, a little bit spicy, and a smooth smoke this one is a must have!

22nd September 2016

I tasted the 2016 release, this is awesome.
Use of rum casks can't be guessed, it is very complex, and soft. Oily it is.
I can understand one may not find this one peaty enough, because it's more of a Springbank profile than typical Longrow.
But this is very, very, good.

17th September 2016

Everything I love about the distillery in a bottle. Delicious!

23rd June 2016

I meant to say 2016 Longrow. That is what I tasted last Saturday.

7th June 2016

I just tasted the new 18 on Saturday, and I think the tasting notes above "from the chaps at master of malt" are for an earlier edition, I think. The 2016 is not very peaty at all and it's rather soapy for a Springbank. It's also thin and not nearly as oily as the earlier few years were. Kippers and smoked meats? No, not in there, IMO. I've been buying the 18's for years, so I'm not some upstart crow beautified with the feathers of other folks' internet reviews and ideas. The 2012 18 year springbank that I bought and tasted in 2013 was actually a 10 year mislabeled. I set it side by side for a tasting with friends and we all decided the whiskies were identical in the 2012 10 year and the 2012 "18" year. Hey, mistakes happen. If you have the black and white label springbank stamped 12/144 on the back of the front label, then beware. That was obviously the all time worst year for an 18 since it was a 10 mislabeled by mistake! Things got much better after that. The 2013 18 year was quite good indeed, at least the bottling that was midway through the year and not the first run of 2013. With that in mind, the 2016 isn't very good in my opinion, but of course it's much better than a 10 year that is put into a bottle with an 18 year label! I have an 18 year refill sherry single springbank that is amazing. Very very good. In my cabinet right now, I have a ton of Longrows and a few springbanks open. Two 12 year old cask strengths and that 18 single cask. Love the longrow reds, especially the pinot 12. The old longrow 14 madeira is amazing, as well. I have one bottle left of that that i'm saving. It's not the most complex longrow I've had but it is divine.

7th June 2016

Watery is right. I went with Serges suggestion at a store that had the 2014 and the 2011. Bum steer. The 2011 was weak, watery, lacked smoke, and went flat very fast after being opened. No the cork was not loose and no I didn't leave it off the bottle for any appreciable amount of time. I ended up putting it in a tin flask for movies at the theater and stuff like that. I also paid $195 in the USA. It wasn't even worth half that. I gather the 2015 is much better. I like my bottle of 11 year Longrow port. It, on the other hand, needs a lot of oxygen and time to come into its own. Got my bottle for $95 and I'm quite pleased with it so far.

15th February 2016

It will improve quite significantly

12th February 2016

Sweet, oily and with a good measure of smoke. A little rough around the edges, hairy chested if you will, but that's what you need in a Scottish winter and is by no means a criticism. This is very high quality stuff. If you want a smooth easy drinker with less character, you know where to go!

7th February 2016

I've not tasted the 2015 but I do have a bottle of the 2011 open these days. It's rather thin and weak. The peat is almost nonexistent to me, but my friends who prefer speysides find it to be peaty

2nd January 2016

Tried this in the "whiskey" of the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh. It was a favourite of two of the bar men, who really knew their whiskey. I was bowled over by how rich and smokey yet smooth it was. That's a combination is don't get very often. This is definitely next on my wishlist. Need to make it to the New Year first!!

9th December 2015

When you open the bottle, a rich, deeply complex, dense but characterful sherry whisky. It took a month to open up inside the bottle for the "damp leaf", autumn air impressions to emerge out of the balanced yet rigid cloak of malty sherryness and become noticable to me. A waxy herbaciousness, lacquered conifers, sometimes menthol while breathing in... Definitely worth buying. I wish I had the money for a another bottle to compare next year, but that's uni life!

10th December 2014