Longrow CV

Nose:  Dry smoke.  Cigars and canvas.  Rockpools / wet stone and rain-moistened tweed.  Water makes it more like oilskins (maybe put on over the tweed?) and turned earth.  Young but enigmatic.

Palate:  Smoke, then an unctuous thick feel.  Clings to the tongue.  Deep syrupy fruit, semi-dried peach.  Brooding and powerful.  Complex

Finish:  Black treacle.

Comments:  A belter.  Highest recommendation.

Score: 8.6 / 10

[These notes are reproduced from Whisky Magazine Issue 70]

Nose: Some early wet cereal notes, alongside something curiously white wine-like; wet dog, old cut grass; then some orange / tangerine notes slowly appear, ash, dusty dried turf, charred wood and lemon peel.  With time, beautiful light orange blossom / Cointreau notes take over.

Palate: Quite hot and assertive, with flavours very much from the nose and a much more prominent peat, white pepper and tingling spice presence; meanwhile the orange notes from the nose are sweeter, almost estery, and the savoury cereal notes are ever-present.  Then the lemon arrives, but much more sherberty (if that's a word).  Calms down considerably after being left ten minutes or more, and becomes much more approachable.

Finish: The peat and pepper ease into fourth gear and cruise along down the tastebuds, with occasional citrus cameos and a palpable briny character adding to the fun.  Very long and drying.

Comment:  The key to getting the most from this dram is time in the glass.  At first a bit overpowering, assertive and astringent, but contact with the air produces a much better balanced dram.  Longrow fans will like this a lot.