Review #949 - Longrow 21 Year (2020)
Longrow bottlings use heavily peated, double-distilled spirit from Springbank, as opposed to the lightly peated, 2.5x distilled Springbank spirit and the unpeated, triple distilled Hazelburn spirit. Still, we typically find that heavily peated Longrow is on the more mellow side of the smoky profile compared to other heavily peated single malts from Scotland. The fact that this version is at least 21 years old could potentially mellow out that smoky side even further.
Today we're specifically looking at the 2020 release, which was bottled in October of that year. Springbank likes to change up the cask makeup for their annual releases, and for this batch, they used 95% sherry casks and 5% ex-bourbon casks.
Longrow 21 Year (2020)
Scotland/Campbeltown - Single Malt
Price: USD 499 (2026)
Age Statement: 21 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Sherry casks and ex-bourbon casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled October 20, 2020; 3,600 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 90% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Earthy and savory with black pepper, soy sauce, and musty shiitake mushrooms. It has some of that classic Campbeltown funk; we also get scents of beef in a red wine reduction, as well as some sweetness from molasses.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness - nice heft, and there are really beautiful buttery, malty, effervescent spirity notes here despite the age. Beef brings back that savory side, and there's a bit of peat smoke, but we find it somewhat soft. Musty antique furniture oak, caramel, and some mineral notes build.
Finish: A little bit of tannic dark fruit skins along with some tannic oak; it becomes a bit spicier now, and we get black pepper and a hint of licorice. Peat still seems relatively soft, and we get some vanilla, stronger oak, a hint of lemon, and rare grilled steak. It's a medium-long finish, nicely rounded and cohesive.
Final Note: This is an excellent whisky, and perhaps a bit more subtle than we expected. The age has definitely mellowed the spirit out, and while it's undoubtedly a peaty whisky, we didn't find it to be any sort of peat monster. That usual Springbank funk does show up, and the combination of smoke, sherry casks, and well-aged oak all contributed to a very savory and complex dram.
We highly recommend trying this whisky if you get the chance; that said, value is below average since it's also a very expensive bottle. When you compare it to Springbank 21 Year, though, it almost looks like a bargain - that other bottle sells out for well over $600 around here, and this Longrow at least seems to be available a bit more regularly.
Our Rating: 8.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.44
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
