Longrow Red 11 Year Tawny Port Cask Matured Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $170

- 115 Proof

- 11 Years

- 2023

- Campbeltown

When it comes to Scotch, I certainly do love those peated whiskies matured in wine casks. I love that peat and sweet!  And of those, I particularly love the Longrow Red collection.  Every single one of these releases has been absolutely outstanding! And of those, I've particularly loved the port finishes!

So, it was a foregone conclusion that I'd be grabbing the 11 year Tawny Port cask when it was released in 2023.  While I have bemoaned the pricing on these bottles, at least going in I knew I was going to love this bottling, and, quite frankly, it did not disappoint.

When I popped the cork, I got more peat than I expected. Usually these Longrow releases are a bit more muted, but this one filled my nostrils with a sweet smokey aroma. That was immediately followed, though, by a rich and sweet jammy note, like raspberry and currant.  Bright and fruity, and yet dark and rich all at once. 

And what I loved most is that it had a flavor to match. Again, the peat smoke was present immediately on the tip of my tongue.  It was no Laphroaig or Ardbeg, but the peat notes were certainly there. There was also a certain salinity to it, kind of like a campfire on the beach.

But what made this release a superstar was that Tawny Port cask! This was the kind of pour that you'd want after a heavy Thanksgiving meal (even if that's not a thing in Scotland!).  It was like a smokey fruit pie, full of fig and raspberry and stewed cherries. It was unquestionably sweet, but yet almost subtly so. The dark fruits provided all of the sweetness, never giving way to being too sweet and always playfully working with the peat smoke.

I did get some graham cracker notes, and even at times a bit of honey and wheat. That really just kind of balanced out the whole pie comparison.  Every now and then I'd even get surprised by warm baking spices, like cinnamon and even nutmeg.

But, rest assured, from front to back, it was that jammy blackberry, currant, stewed cherries, fig impression from the Tawny Port that was the absolute star here, making for one of the best pours I've had in a long time.  Damn those stupid prices--I'm stuck just grabbing these Longrow Reds as I find them!

Grade: A+

Longrow Red 15 Year Pinot Noir Cask Matured Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $180

- 102.8 Proof

- 15 Years

- 2022 Release

- Campbeltown

For those that know me, they know that I love my peated Scotches.  I love them even more when they're matured in wine casks.  And, I tend to love them even more when they hail from Campbeltown.  Release it as part of the Longrow Red series and I'm pretty much guaranteed to have a bottle I know I'll absolutely love. 

So, a 15 year Pinot Noir cask matured bottling from the Longrow Red series is certainly far from a reach for me. Even at the hefty price tag, I really didn't give it a second thought. That said, I certainly recognize that this is at the high end of bottlings at that age, and I'm not suggesting it's a value in any way. I'm just saying that I knew going in that this would be my jam, so the value was there for me.

The nose was full of spiced berries, kind of like a mulled wine that was very cherry and blackberry forward.  There was even a bit of currant in there as well. The Pinot Noir casks definitely made an impression here.  I also got a slight anise note, as well as a light smokey note. All in all it was this sort of sweet barbecue note and it absolutely had me salivating.

As to flavor, although Pinot Noir isn't a sweet wine, the maturation certainly imparted some sweet characteristics. This was most noticeable in the peat, as the smokey notes I was getting were sweet, almost like when you overbake a pie.  That sweet smokey note mixed perfectly with what was a very distinct spiced cherry note that I couldn't get enough of.

And while the smoke was on the sweeter end, that's a bit relative. This was not an overly sweet whisky at all. It wasn't like an over-sherried Scotch. Rather, it was balanced, allowing the sweet notes to come from the peat and the malt rather than from the barrel. 

In addition to the cherry and sweet smoke, I also got notes of plum and, every now and then, a bright honey note. On the finish I found a great dark chocolate note, which worked incredibly well with the sweet smoke and spiced cherry notes. I simply couldn't wait for the next sip.

Once again, Longrow Red has done it for me.  I just can't get enough of these!

Grade: A

Longrow Red Cabernet Franc Matured 11 Year Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:

- $150

- 111.8 Proof

- 11 years

- Campbeltown

The Longrow Red series has long been my favorite "series" or annual release, probably in all of whiskey/whisky. In fact, it was the Pinot Noir Cask that I had back in 2017 that turned me on to wine finished, peated scotches, and my insatiable love for sweet and peat!! Ever since then I've made it a point to get my hands on and try anything fruity and peaty that I can find.

While most of those are matured in either sherry or port (port tends to be my favorite), this one was matured in Cabernet Franc barrels. I'm certainly no wine guy, so I have no opinion on or experience with cabernet franc. But, given that I absolutely loved the Malbec Longrow Red, and I know that I don't particularly like Malbecs, I figured I couldn't go wrong with this one either. 

Right up front on the nose I got those rich fruit notes I've come to expect from these bottlings. It was full of bright raspberry and black currant. There was a light smokiness to it as well, along with some black pepper spice on the back end. It had a bit of a sweet barbecue note and I could not wait to dive into it.

The flavor was full of rich, fruity notes, but not quite as bright as on the nose. It leaned more dark fruits like blackberry and plum. It was sweetened, however, by a great honey note. That was all underscored by a malty backbone that came across like a honey wheat bread, but a good one, like the kind you'd buy from a bakery.

The peat smoke was there but not pervasive. Like most Campbeltown Scotches, it doesn't slap you in the face the way an Islay might. But it was still there to provide that great balance and "meatiness" to accompany the sweet and fruity notes. There was also a white peppercorn type spice, particularly on the back end. 

The finish reminded me a lot of sangria. It had the rich wine flavors, with dark fruit notes and a bit of tannins to counter the sweetness, which came from a bright orange note that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The finish wasn't particularly long, but the flavors were absolutely delicious!

Unsurprisingly, I loved this bottle, and I can't wait to work my way through the rest of the lineup sitting on my shelf.

Grade: A

Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $70

- 92 Proof

- NAS

- Campbeltown

First off, let me start by saying that I had to use a stock photo for this one rather than my typical empty bottle photo because I waited too long to write this review, and that empty bottle ended up in the recycling bin as empty bottles are wont to do.  I still wanted to get this review up, though, so stock photo it is.

I honestly didn't even have this bottle on my radar, but one day I got a text from one of my liquor store guys with a picture and the question of, "Do you want it?"  My knee jerk reaction was, "Of course!" But, I refrained and did a bit digging, and I learned that this is a blend of all five whisky brands that hail from Campbeltown -- Springbank, Longrow, Hazelburn, Kilkerran and Glen Scotia. Springbank bottled the blend as the label suggests.  So, with that 30 seconds of research on my phone, my response was still, "Of course!"

The nose was soft and very malty. It reminded me of the inside of a Whoppers candy, even with the added chocolate note. I also got a good amount of sweet tobacco leaf. It seems a bit of an odd combination, but all that, along with notes of honey, lemongrass and butterscotch gave this a sweet, soft and interesting nose.

As to flavor, right up front I got the butterscotch that only seemed light on the nose. I also got a healthy amount of caramel, which, I acknowledge, is a very similar flavor, but one with some distinction. The tip of my tongue was hit with a light black pepper spice as well, helping detract from the immediately sweet profile.

As I worked my way through this bottle (which I did with relative speed), I got some brighter notes. Not quite the lemongrass I was getting on the nose, but there was a golden raisin note that I really enjoyed. I also got a sort of nutty, earthy note that was sweet at the same time, kind of like cashews with a bit of a grassy note.

The finish, however, is what made this bottle worth it for me. The finish was like a rich dessert, full of nougat and caramel, along a rich dark chocolate note that helped keep it from leaning too sweet. The bright notes seemed to fade away, leaving on the finish the taste of a well-made dark chocolate turtle bar. 

While the idea of the blend comes across as a gimmick, the fact of the matter is Springbank still staked their name to it, and, like seemingly everything Springbank does (yes, I'm a bit of a fanboy), this was another winner!

Grade: B+

Longrow Red Malbec Cask Matured 13 Year Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:
- $150

- 102.6 Proof

- 13 Years

- Campbeltown

The "Red" series from Longrow is hands down my favorite series among whiskeys.  Every single one has been absolutely fantastic, finding a great balance between the salty smoke of the peat and the rich fruit-forward notes provided by the cask finish. 

This particular one, released in 2017, was matured in Malbec casks. I don't drink wine any more, but when I did, I gave Malbecs a try a few different times. I just did not enjoy them, for whatever reason. So, while I, of course, grabbed this one nonetheless, figuring how bad could it be, I went into it thinking this might be the first one that didn't blow me away. I couldn't have been more wrong, though. This was an incredible dram!

On the nose, the wine notes do seem to overpower the peat smoke, making the smokiness of it almost secondary. The aroma is dominated by rich blackberry and dark cherry, along with a good amount of oak offering a balancing bitterness. The peat is there, but comes across as more of a char note.

The flavor, though, was everything I could have hoped for. This bottle was all sweet, fruity smoke, and I loved it. Cherry and fig dominated the fruity notes, providing a dark and rich sweetness.  And yet, it was never a super-sweet whisky. There was a lot of balance to it, as it also had a cranberry note that added some tartness, and that same oak from the nose to add a bit of earthiness and a touch of bitterness.

What stood out with this bottle, though, was something rich and almost meaty. It reminded me of cherry wood smoked barbecue, or perhaps a reduced cherry barbecue sauce. It had smoke, it had sweet cherry, it had sweet brown sugar and it had barbecue spice. I've never had something like this before, and I wonder how much of that was the Malbec influence. I certainly don't get notes like this from the sweeter Port or Sherry finishes.

This might just be one of my favorite whiskeys I've ever had. The nose was just good, but whatever. It's the nose. The flavor absolutely floored me, with an incredible balance of rich sweetness, peat smoke and spice that made everything go perfectly, like each note had a purpose, even down to the cranberry.  I saved the last pour for quite some time, not wanting to finish the bottle, but now I just may have to track another one of these down.

Grade: A+

Longrow Red Limited Edition Pinot Noir Cask Finished 12 Year Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch

VITALS:
- $120
- 105.8 Proof
- 12 Years

My wife enjoys picking out bottles to surprise me with, usually for some sort of special occasion like a birthday or Father's Day. It's something I've really grown to love about her! When she does this, she tends to go with Scotch Whiskies, because there's less of a chance that I've had it before. So for my birthday she looked for something special, something limited, and she came home with this.

I have to admit, I was completely unfamiliar with this line. According to the label, Longrow is a peated single malt produced at Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, and less than 100 casks of Longrow are filled each year. This particular bottling was matured for 11 years in bourbon casks and then one year in fresh New Zealand Pinot Noir casks, and on 9,000 bottles were produced. What was clear to me from the label was that there was a whole lot going on with this whisky, and I couldn't wait to dive in!

The nose is interesting. It had the traditional barley malt nose that I associate with Scotches, along with the expected peat smoke. However, those scents blended with what I'd describe as a sweet raspberry note, and in the end, it all culminated into a soft hickory smoke nose. It was like barbecue with a raspberry glaze that just made me salivate at the thought of tasting it.

On the palate, the peat is prominent but not overpowering. Rather, the myriad other flavors are allowed to come through, as though they poke their heads out through the peat smoke to hit the tongue, only to retreat back to their smokey home, kind of like a whisky whack-a-mole!

I enjoyed some delicious dark fruits hidden within, like plum and blackberry. These flavors were overlaid on a nice platform of vanilla and cereal notes, kind of like rice crispy treats. On another sip I noticed brown sugar, which balanced very well with the peat smoke and the slight heat (though I wouldn't describe it as "burn"). As with the nose, the palate was also very reminiscent of sweet barbecue ribs.

The fact that this was aged in bourbon barrels for 11 years seems to certainly have had its influence. I believe that the aging in the bourbon barrels gives this whisky its robust character and the vanilla and brown sugar flavors up front. The Pinot Noir barrel finish added further complexity, and softened the whisky with delicious fruit notes that complemented the other flavors rather than contrast with them. This whisky has a lot going on, and it's that kind of robust character that's needed for all these different flavors to come through.

This is easily one of the most interesting whiskies I've ever tried. As I said, there is a LOT going on, from the peat smoke, to the bourbon barrel aging, to the Pinot Noir barrel finish. A lot of factors influenced the flavor of this whisky. However, in the end, it was in incredibly fun pour and, more importantly, an incredibly delicious one. I certainly will be keeping my eye out for future releases!

Grade: A