Longrow matured on Oloroso and Manzanilla
On this Campbeltown Wednesday, we turn towards a Longrow again. It has been a while, almost a year or so, since we last featured the peated brand made at Springbank Distillery. I believe I cried out for a return to greatness for this beloved hard-hitting single malt. But it seems to be our fate that we drink Longrow from the more exotic cask. Today we have a bottle that you could have picked up from the legendary cage, or had bottled exclusively for a band of whisky friends. This Longrow saw the insides of a Manzanilla cask. You can read what Ruben of WhiskyNotes fame wrote on his specialized sherry blog. You will learn that Manzanilla is actually not a sherry. Potato, potato? Let’s have a glass!
Longrow 2015, 10 years old, bottled at 58,3 % abv for the Springbank Stallions
First things first: This Longrow was produced on 23 January 2015 and put into a refill oloroso cask, before being transferred to a Manzanilla cask sometime in 2021. Bottled on the 4th of July 2025. Rotation 21/P50-2 and matured in warehouse 15. We love details.
Upon Sipping: What you can expect from a Longrow with all kinds of influences beating down on it: a meaty affair! Smoke, ashes, raw meat, and maybe a hint of flowers. The taste is, in contrast, most of all very sweet when it arrives on the tongue. That is the Manzanilla speaking volumes. Then it moves on to a fruity, meaty attack of peat right before the exit. Not a lot of balance in this single cask, but a lot of power from all the elements, mostly the peat and the (second) fortified wine cask. With water, all assets get more power, like a transformation from Prince Adam into He-Man (did you see the trailer?). Then the ashes become more dominant, which you could describe as a very present experience. The taste however is more tranquil because of the sweetness from the Manzanilla. The meaty note is now more a lingering presence, but it remains in play. On a final sip, we pick up some smoky wood and a slightly coastal note.
Word to the Wise: Excellent Longrow that will keep you on your toes, even though it lacks some balance. All elements are there, from good peat to (sherried) sweetness. At the same time, while drinking this, I notice how much I yearn for the most naked of naked Longrows, from a plain bourbon barrel. I need to get my hands on that soon.
Score: 86 points.