Longrow 11 Years Red Tawny Port

• Size: 700ML
• ABV: 57.5%

This Longrow Red Single Malt Scotch Whiskey is aged for seven years in bourbon casks and then four years in fresh tawny port casks. Only 8,400 bottles of this bottled at cask strength at a nice 57.5% ABV.

Colour: Deep amber.

Nose: Notes of currant, blackberry and cola, along with an element of overripe or dried fruit.

Taste: Lots of red fruits, honey glaze, roasted almonds and brandy basket nicely balanced with smoky notes of grilled meat.

Serving suggestion: Should be enjoyed neat.

At Springbank, 3 distinct types of whiskey are produced, which differ on a number of parameters. The classic Springbank has a light peat smoke. The smoke level is indicated (somewhat imprecisely) with a measurement of phenol in the finished malted barley and is approximately 10-15 “parts per million” (the malt is dried for 6 hours with peat smoke and 30 hours with hot air). Springbank is also distilled 2.5 times. “Longrow” – a strongly smoked variant was first made in 1973. Here the smoke is up to 50-55 ppm, the malt is dried for 48 hours with peat smoke, and it is distilled twice. The newest variant, Hazelburn, saw the light of day in 1997 when they first tried completely unsmoked and triple-distilled whiskey. Of the approximately 175,000 liters the small Campbeltown distillery produces per year, 80% is Springbank, approximately 10% Longrow and 10% Hazelburn.

Regardless of which variant you’re after, Springbank is worth getting to know. It is the favorite distillery of many whiskey geeks and for good reason! As the only distillery in Scotland, they malt all the barley they need themselves. Color is never added and the whiskey is not chill-filtered.