New Release: LONGROW 18 Year Old Official 2017 Release

This distillery's unique sherry character may divide opinions. LONGROW LONGROW 18yo OB 2017 RELEASE 46% The aroma features vanilla, fresh orange, honey, thick malt, a damp, furry animal-like quality, light dashi, and a gradually emerging strong peat. On the palate, it offers a rich honey sweetness, unexpectedly revealing dashi soy sauce-like notes, meaty umami from fish and malt, with a briny, peaty finish. [Good/Very Good] Though released annually as a limited edition, I finally had the chance to try this year's official bottling. It retains the characteristic seafood-like umami and animal-like nuances typical of LONGROW, with a solid peat presence. At 46%, the body remains well-balanced, making it a delicious bottle overall. However, personally, I found the dashi soy sauce-like sherry character slightly off-putting. While Springbank's sherry cask-matured whiskies often exhibit this trait to varying degrees, I believe it's more a result of the synergy between the distillate's character and cask influence rather than just the cask itself. This element is particularly pronounced in LONGROW and recent heavily peated Springbank bottlings. I can imagine some drinkers might find this aspect rich and appealing, making it a type that could be highly appreciated by those with such preferences. As someone who enjoys LONGROW, I've purchased bottles despite this drawback, and I'm keenly interested in how this characteristic might evolve with aging. #LONGROW (LONGROW)