Longrow Peated

 

This used to be called "Longrow C.V.." which is how I first had it. Now, with new packaging but - presumably - the same great taste, we have Longrow Peated - the heavily peated entry from the Springbank distillery. Distilled 2.7x times, aged for an indeterminate time in ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at 46%, no chill filtering or coloring... let's see if it's as good as I remember. 

Nose: WOW, that's a lot of peat. You can tell this is younger. Heavy, boggy peat that is dank and phenolic. Smoke is also present, in a distinctive coal note, along with some tar. Diesel fumes. Malt and some faint vanilla lurk in the background. I read somewhere on the net "damp basement," and that is in here too. Iodine. Seaweed. Lemon. Lime zest. With a little water, the lemon and lime come forward. 

Mouthfeel: Luscious. Quite nice. 

Palate: Follows the nose but inverts the peat and smoke - the peat is present, but it's the smoke that takes over and carries the lemon, the lime zest and vanilla echoes into the finish. It's the smoke that sits in your mouth and won't leave. Very savory. With water, it gets sweeter: barley sugar and vanilla are added to the lemon and lime notes. 

Finish: Another Wow, this is serious smoke that intertwines with some wood notes and stays in your mouth for a good long time. 

Verdict: This is quite different than the Longrow CV I remember having a few years ago. That bottle supposedly had many different wood influences (port, sherry, rum, etc.) and a sour fruit taste. This is extremely savory, like Ardbeg's Wee Beastie, or perhaps cask strength Laphroaig. But it's delicious! The lemon, the lime zest, the coal smoke, the dank peat... all combine very nicely. Worth your time.