New Release: LONGROW 1994-2016 21 Year Old - Official Campbeltown Malts Festival 2016 Springbank Open Day Edition

The breathtakingly beautiful and delicious LONGROW. It's been a long time since I've experienced such an emotional release. LONGROW LONGROW 1994-2016 21yo OB for Springbank Distillery Open Day Part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2016 46% one of 216 bottles, Refill Bourbon Cask The aroma is refined and exquisitely floral, with a concentrated, powdery texture reminiscent of freeze-dried grapefruit and lemon, vanilla, white flowers, dry grains, faintly fresh cheese, mineral notes evoking the sea, and a gentle smokiness akin to smoked hay. Upon tasting, it's less stimulating, with umami and sweetness gradually seeping into the palate, a powdery texture providing chewiness, refined grapefruit sweetness and acidity, a touch of custard apple, gentle grainy notes with briny seafood umami, mineral-rich and robustly briny, with smoky peat notes that are relatively mellow for LONGROW, leaving a long, intoxicating aftertaste. [Very Good/Excellent] This is the LONGROW 1994, aged for 21 years, released on May 19th at Springbank Distillery's Open Day as part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2016. From the first impression of its aroma, it's astonishingly refined and floral, evoking the intoxicating fruitiness and florals reminiscent of old Springbank's 'malt perfume'. Though a bourbon cask, it lacks any artificial nuances from the barrel, instead feeling incredibly natural. Most notably, its strong, concentrated essence feels like it wasn't diluted at all, centered around citrus fruits with a refined grainy texture, complemented by LONGROW's characteristic mineral notes and smokiness, yet these elements assert themselves in remarkably gentle ways. Upon tasting, it's matured and refined like a diluted whisky but without any thinness, with the same elegant flavors spreading softly across the palate and a textured chewiness that's highly appealing. Citrus-centric, vibrant fruity sweetness and acidity, with the refined grainy notes and oyster-like umami typical of LONGROW asserting themselves without being overt. Its elegance lies in the absence of forceful claims, maintaining a composed sophistication. Regarding peat as well, it feels more subdued than recent peaty Springbank expressions, evoking the older Springbank rather than modern LONGROW. In recent years, Springbank and LONGROW often feel rough-hewn with many impurities, yet their scale and growth potential are impressive. This evaluation includes such considerations. Even the peat expression differs, suggesting that I've been tasting it through an older standard's lens. However, this LONGROW feels so complete that I instinctively judge it through those old standards. It's fully matured and finished, which makes sense given its status as a special single cask. The high angel's share (only 216 bottles) from the refill hogshead likely contributed to this maturity, though I've never encountered a similar new release. While several distilleries still practice floor malting, most rely heavily on maltsters. Springbank remains an exception, producing entirely through floor malting with high-strength mashes, preserving its traditional methods even in today's high-proof, modern era. I suspect there are other old-school processes I'm unaware of. This might explain the surprising cask that feels like a throwback or mutation, almost shocking in its appearance. Amidst an industry leaning toward mass production and quality consistency, Springbank's handmade elements likely introduce variability. This might be the source of the 'fluctuation' in quality and individuality often found in older Scotches. Of course, consistently producing high-quality whisky is crucial, but I'm reminded of how important it is for Springbank to continue its current style. Incidentally, the most impressive new release I've tasted immediately upon release in the past decade was BBR's retro-labeled LONGROW 1992 for Mr. Whisky Dee. This LONGROW is the first to shock me since then. Last time, I thought the cask influence might be significant, but this one is almost bare-bones yet delivers such intoxication. Indeed, Springbank remains an amazing distillery.