Longrow 13 Year Red Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Matured

Review by: The Muskox

Longrow’s ‘Red’ series of wine-matured bottlings is one of the most consistently lauded special releases in all of Scotland. I jumped at the chance to grab a bottle of this most recent release, which has been finished for three years in Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Chile. I may not know much about wine, but I do know that Cab Sav is a big strong grape that should be more than a match for Longrow’s earthy and industrial spirit.

It’s nice to have an entire brand-new bottle to review for once. I’ve compiled these notes from the first three drams.

Distillery: Springbank

Bottler: Official bottling

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 51.6%. Cask Strength.

Age: 13 Years. Bottled in 2020.

Cask type: Initially matured in a mix of bourbon barrels and sherry hogsheads, then finished for the last three years in Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Mont Gras’ Intriga Estate in Alto Maipo, Chile.

Price: $122 CAD.

Color: Glowing ruby red. Natural Color. Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: Loads of Longrow goodness, not completely swamped by the red wine. Malted barley, with familiar notes of sesame seeds and musty, earthy smoke. Some heavy savoury notes of braised beef and mulch. Blood orange, cherries, cassis, wine gums, raisins, and baked apples. Some cinnamon and star anise. Some very fragrant vanilla.

Palate: Thick, oily texture. A big blast of zingy blood orange and wine gums up front. There’s plenty of salty and savoury, with loads of caramelized mushrooms, bacon, toasted nuts, and coconut. Dark thick wine notes as well. Pardon my French, but it’s something like a coq au vin sauce. The heavy industrial peat in the middle is tempered by fruity sweetness and acidity: maybe some mulled wine or apple cider. Woody spice on the development: wine tannins, dark-roasted malt, cinnamon, licorice, and overbrewed English Breakfast.

Finish: Musty and savoury, with more dark sweetness and a zing of acidity. Loads of blood orange, some grapefruit, raisins, and a hint of crystallized pineapple. More black tea, crusty sourdough, apple cider, and licorice. Some salty bacon. Chestnut?

Conclusion: Another knockout. This is packed with smoky blood-orange bacon goodness from end to end. The play between the musty peat and zingy fruit is very exciting. The texture is nice and oily as well. Don’t be dissuaded by this being a cab sav finish rather than a full maturation: there’s plenty of strong wine notes to go around. I’m not sure the dram would be any better with a full maturation rather than the 3-year finish. Did I mention that I love blood oranges?

Final Score: 90.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Leave a comment