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Campbeltown Smoke, 11May2025: Kilkerran OB Heavily Peted - Batch #9 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/242964/kilkerran-heavily-peated 85+ Kilkerran 8yo OB 2015 SC - Heavily Peated https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/264282/kilkerran-2015 86- Longrow Hand Filled Distillery Exclusive (57.9% b.06Nov2024) https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/268353/longrow-hand-filled-distillery-exclusive 86- Longrow 18yo OB (16/176) https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/81670/longrow-18-year-old 89- Longrow 15yo OB 2004 OD Rum https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/131380/longrow-2004 88+ Longrow 16yo Cage 2006 Madeira https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/240153/longrow-2006 88-

21 22 21 21 84 too rumy, it bothered me, sorry, but on the whole it’s tasty, drinking and with good development potential!

N- Polished stainless steel and sharp, thick mineral sphere dark raisins, caramel banana with some orange and oily mixed peels. The burnt turf decay notes does appear eventually, but much refine than old version of heavy sherry, rubbery and tar that are quite handful to handle. P- Less hefty and oily as the old version (1st fill Sherry Cask). A lot more sweeter citrus fruits with bristly dry sherry notes, much balance, and much pleasant and palatable to more.  Gentle spicy, and with sensational marine characters, with a whiff of trademark burnt peat. F- Medium-long, complex. Juicy grapes, apple, fruit extracts. Smooth with playful spiciness drifting on. — at The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur.

The rum casks are immediately apparent on the nose after the first pour. Syrupy, with candied fruit jellies (banana, peach, everything sweet and sticky). Surprisingly, neither smoke nor wood are very present initially. After a while, the peated barley comes out, but it's very soft and understated. If I would have to guess, I'd say this is less smoky than both Bowmore and Talisker (which are already on the lower end of the peat spectrum). Actually, come to think of it, Talisker 18 might be close: this is similarly Bourbon-centric and refill-y, with a focus on letting the spirit, rather than the wood, do the talking. It's a nice nose, for sure, with some mulled wine notes and warming spices joining in now that the liquid has settled down and opened up. Aeration also brings out the unmistakeable Springbank/Campbeltown character (cooling coal smoke, ashes and "industrial" or workshop smells, i.e., oily tools) yet there's an overall soft creamy aspect to the aroma that makes it very accessible. However, it's far from spectacular, and a bit "boozy" for my taste - I guess the rum influence might be to blame. Both the sweetness and the spices reappear on the palate. Very good texture, extremely luscious, oily and silky. I had expected this to be somewhat stormy and smoky, but it's a really charming, rounded, almost elegant sipper. There's honey, cinnamon and vanilla by the boatload - and absolutely no need for water. Ripe mango in Greek yoghurt, liquor-filled white chocolate truffles: it's all rather sweet and dessert-like and much "friendlier" than expected. To be clear, the diesel fumes and charcoal aromas we've come to expect from this brand are present as well, but their function here is to provide a rugged backbone rather than to command the stage. The saltiness commonly associated with coastal malts increases with each sip and lasts on the lips for a long while. The finish is warming, soft and, if that's an acceptable term here, incredibly *gradual*. The taste really subsides ever so evenly and slowly, like the textbook image of a sinus curve heading downward. Again: not spectacular - and there's curiously little wood action at the death as well - but really solid and beautifully paced. Ach, a tough one to score! I didn't care that much for the nose, but both taste and aftertaste really speak to the continually high quality of this much-loved Springbank spin-off. It's not an event malt, it doesn't have a "wow" factor that would make me go and spend >100 € on a bottle, but it definitely is a delicious, somewhat winter-y, heartwarming, well-composed and substantial offering.

Very good whisky, which has more peat than the 2015er, but does not have this complexity by far.

Compared with the 2015er I like the 2016er not quite so good! In the nose, the 205 has a lighter, pleasant smoky notes with beautiful citrus and orange notes. Later comes a light caramel. Very round and exactly balanced. The 2016 is stronger, spicier, smokier and has a light stable muff at the beginning. Maybe he simply just needs much longer in the glass? In the mouth, the 2016er alcoholic sharper, also here I find the 2015er rounder and more pleasant. In the finish, the 2016er is minimal bitter, but shows nice coffee notes. Overall, I would prefer the 2015er, although the 2016er is not bad. The 2016 has more Ooomph and probably just needs longer in the glass! My result: 2015 = 89 points / 2016 = 87 points

Very nice and interesting flavors. But here, too, is the typical "dirty" Springbank character unfortunately to recognize that I do not like it. Still very good, but also because of the price, the sample is enough for me.

Blind tasting.

Blind Tasting

typical Springbank distillate with an oblique impact and interesting complexity - treat it to a drop of water

A lot weaker than 15 years

Aroma: spicy, with cinnamon and ginger, with hints of calvados, cider, pastries and pear drops Taste: very buttery, the ginger presents itself again and develops into marzipan and coconut, followed by a thick sweetness of sugarcane molasses and juicy apples Notes of the distillery

Nose: The peat is rather thin, rather smoky, not overwhelming. Vanilla, candied white fruit. Palate: Fruity bitterness; apple, pear, grape. Creamy texture in the mouth. Finale: Sweet spices, fine smoky peat, and the fruitiness still present. Verdict: Well balanced, the barrel of rum brings a beautiful fruity. A nice product overall.

Single Blind Dram. Springbank vertical tasting, 10.2016

n: I don´t find the rum influence dominant, and I will not complain. quite smoky but very integrated, a fruitiness I cannot really pin down, somehow a bit rotten but not off-putting. there is also something chalky, remember the smell of old blackboard sponges? wet wool. now I know that this doesn´t sound good, does it? but it is a pleasant nose, believe me. just as all these longrow 18s have a pleasant nose. in fact this one reminds a bit of the 14yo in that green carton. the fruitiness becomes stronger after 10 minutes and the whisky reveals quite some complexity. now I got it: lemons rubbed with an old chalky blackboard sponge:-). and maybe some rhubarb. t:  seems a bit more chiselled  than previous expressions with a lighter profile. lemons in the foreground and that rhubarby thing. despite the slightly narrower profile it comes fat and oily, just as old longrow lovers expect it to come. again I cannot find any rum influence but the sherry is there and it is lovely. somehow between fresh and dried fruits. f: medium, maybe a tad flat in the very end comments: as you might have noticed this is a dram that´s very hard for me to describe. perhaps no stuff for the unacquainted whisky drinker! nevertheless it is almost flawless as always and I will surely get me a bottle. 92/100

The aroma and taste are almost perfect. Kaleidoscopic, juicy explosive, exotic fruits. Chic 18-ka.

Don't come here looking for a smoky Longrow. But, this is a complex and sweet whisky with depth and balance.

Sharp! As you could just get one thing after another and cut into pieces. Integrated, yet apart. Works on the palate despite lower abv. 90,50.

Springbank Distillery's twice distilled and Peat version Longrow.

A profile as atypical as perfectly mastered. And oh so drinkable !

Hard to get anything out of the nose at first. Ash and a bit of fruit. A little bit better with a drop of water. More fruit and a bit of smoke. The body is quite watery. Not as intense as you would suspect an 18 year old. Less smoke than expected. I tasted grapes, a bit of sherry but no rum at all. Medium long finish.

Appearance: Amber in the glass; deep copper in the bottle. At 46%, the legs are fairly thick and slushy. They roll down the sides of the glass slower than two single cask offerings by Springbank that I recently reviewed, both of which were bottled at cask strength. Despite this fact, the whisky displays nice beading, and I can tell by the “Katy Perry thighs” that it will have a nice, oily mouth feel. Nose: Surprisingly, I’m reminded a little of the Springbank Local Barley 16-Year-Old. This nose is quite elegant for a peater, and fairly old school. There’s some lanolin, vanilla custard, and then the smoke kicks in with dry cigar ash, tobacco leaf, wet river stones, and walnuts. Follow-up sniffs also detect some very faint stewed fruit notes of plumb and red apple, along with lemon zest, and a little black pepper. The fruit compote notes are so muted that they pretty much blend into the whole of the dram ubiquitously. Palate: My 2016 edition of Longrow 18 really benefited from time to oxidize in the bottle. I like the whisky now quite a bit more than I did upon first cracking open the bottle. On my tongue, I’m getting a more viscous mouth feel than expected. Perhaps it’s because my glass has been sitting covered on my desk for nearly an hour. I use a glass “watch cover” to keep the spirit from turning flat, and it works quite well. Dried hay and a burning cigar come across as a first impression, and then comes a wave of bees wax, honey suckle, clover, caramel, sultana (yellow raisin), and the faintest hint of stewed fruit. Plums, but no apple in the mouth. A nuttiness emerges, undoubtedly from eighteen long years spent slumbering in oak. Almond paste makes an appearance. The antiseptic tang of almond nut-skin is also coming through, ever so faintly. That’s the oak talking, for sure. Finish: A very nice balance of peat, along with industrial overtones, haunt one’s tongue, in addition to the sides of one’s mouth. It’s not unpleasant. Rather invigorating, actually. I’m going to call this one a long finish. Kind of surprising for a mere 46% ABV, which isn’t low, but isn’t high, either. Cigar ash lingers on my tongue the longest. I guess that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, the whisky in my glass has a phenol level close to 55% ppm.

Interesting whisky is interesting. Longrow 18 year old is delicious and from the cask makeup you’d truly not guess on the journey you were going to be taken on. This is to be applauded. All too often whisky can be delightful and yet at the same time mundanely predictable. The 2016 release is anything but. Cold hard polish steel is the order of the day – I’ve not a whisky so steely in a long time and I’d frankly never expect if from a rum and sherry cask marriage. Balance is probably this dram’s highest accolade, it would be all too easy to allow the sweetness to become cloying or the minerality to be unchecked and too severe, but neither are the case here. Everything is in check and where it’s supposed to be. Steely rum casks, who’d have thought - I do love learning new things. https://www.thedramble.com/tastings/longrow/longrow-18-year-old-2016-release/

Boy the nose is a winner. Pretty lively for 18 year peat, and completely balanced, though it does fade in the glass. Something to appreciate, and I love that the house style shines through. Changing and possibly not the most purely enjoyable dram.

Despite me not being a peat fan, the subtle smokiness on this Springbank release of Longrow 18 Year Old was quite drinkable for me (I’m surprised). :) While I didn’t get much on the nose besides smoke (even at these peat levels it overwhelms my smell) and funk, the palate and finish made this a completely different experience than what I was initially expecting. I’m still very much a “Springbank rookie” so take my score from that point-of-view.

Ohhh, bad springbank again, and again Serge loves it. Just doesn't do it for me. I happily gave it away. I like salty whiskies, Clynelish, Talisker... I liked the Springbank 12 Green, lovely mineral. But this has actual faults, malic acid off notes, things that make my nose go whoop whoop alert pull out, not good. True to the nose, the flavour is not a pleasant experience, drink with a grimace. Maybe it is just me.

Nosing reveals chalk, rock candy, wet towel, a whiff of smoke, red juicy apples, and something briny, thinking of soy sauce. Oh, and cooked pears. A sip is very sweet at first before revealing very mild, layered peat. This dram is so mellow. Tropical fruits on pancakes. Sesame seeds, butterscotch. And the rum cask is bloody obvious, the finish actually tastes more like one of those overly sugarry rums than Longrow whisky to me. Not sure if I like that. I had a Longrow Peated right before this dram, maybe that set the whole thing up wrong. The other night I had an older Longrow 18 from 2011/2013, and frankly, this doesn't hold a candle to it. It's an easy dram (too easy?), and it's lovely.. but please, no more rum casks.

Hm, somehow all the flavors of this whisky are very subtle. A little smoke and some rum taste, with a short and unspectacular finish. I was hoping for more ...

Nose: Freshly cut apples, damp moss, wood smoke and rain on a dry ground. Palate: Peat with cracked peppercorn, citrus, oak and some wood smoke. Finish: Medium to long, more oak and wood smoke. A little bit of lime and sweet cashew nuts at the end. Overall this is a whisky win for me.