Campbeltown

Springbank 12 Cask Strength Batch 28

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After some time off and enjoying the Arran Music & Malts festival, we’re back with another Campbeltown whisky! As the latest batch of the 12 year Cask Strength series has made it’s way to my area, I thought to myself that now was a good time to give this whisky another good look before making my way to the next batch! Batch 28 is made out of 100% bouron casks, so it allows the beautiful Springbank distillate to shine through. Let’s see what notes we’re able to pick up!

Review

Tasting notes

Nose: Earthy, salty peat mixed with mango, papaya and a hint of pineapple. There’s also some industrial oil somehow mixing this weird fruit salad together. A vanilla custard pie also makes an appearance.

Palate: The palate is a bit on the peppery side. I can still taste those exotic fruits we enjoyed on the nose, but somebody has mixed a chili pepper into the salad now. Towards the finish I get some salted caramel and a whiff of smoke.

This is one I’ve personally been drinking with a tad of water, but for the sake of the review I went back to it neat.

After adding half a teaspoon of water:

Nose: The earthy peat is still making its appearance, followed immediately by some butterscotch. Stewed pineapple, stewed in a generous amount of salty butter.

Palate: Our chili pepper is still there, but instead of being the dominant note, it’s much more toned down. That allows the butterscotch to shine a bit more, together with the butter and salted caramel. The exotic fruits are still present, but this time they’re the canned kind. You know, those little cans of fruit in syrup? That’s exactly what I’m getting here. The second sip has me wondering if that syrup has a splash of machine oil mixed into it as well. To end this pleasant dram, there’s that soft whiff of smoke again. It’s subtle and aromatic.

Wrap up

Springbank on bourbon casks is something which really works for me, I like how it allows the tropical fruit notes of the distillate to come through. This release is no different and really sings. I’ve been enjoying my time with this bottle as it’s slowly coming to it’s end…

Score: 89/100

Longrow 100 Proof

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Today we have another Campbeltown member: the Longrow 100 proof series. This series takes over the flag of the discontinued Longrow Red. This review focuses on batch 2 of the 100 proof series and I’m curious to find out if it can hold its own?

Review

Tasting notes

On the nose, there are plenty of red fruits together with some tannins and that unmistakable Longrow filth. The peat is dirty and earthy in the best possible way. There’s also a hint of salinity lingering in the background, adding a nice coastal touch.

The palate starts sweeter than expected, bringing sugary red fruits before the ashy peat takes over. There’s also some of that industrial, funky Longrow character that fans of the distillery will instantly recognize. A little pepper adds some extra spice and keeps things lively.

The finish carries on with more peat and coastal salinity. There’s a touch of astringency towards the end, but it fits the profile well and leaves you reaching for another sip.

Wrap up

Longrow is one of my favourite Springbank expressions, the typical campbeltown funk together with the peat dialed up works very well for me. The 100 proof is noticably a younger member of the family, but it handles the youth quite well. It gets better when adding a bit of water, it removes a bit of the sharper edges and allows those fruit notes to come forward a tad more. And of course, the peat…

Score: 86/100