Longrow in Jim Murray's whisky bible 2007

*That* 15 years old bottling does not appear, but there are some 10 y-o and
a 14 y-o getting from 89 to 95 points. Murray's scale is in his very own
words:

85-89 Very good to excellent whiskies definitely worth buying
90-93 Brilliant.
94-97 Superstar whiskies that give us all a reason to live.
98-100 Better that anything I'eve ever tasted.

So I'm getting my bottle as Colin has been told. Hope someone can UR it to
central London on jan 22/23.

Murray's opinions on Longrow usually include the words "peat" and "salty".
Is it summat similar to, say, Caol Ila?

Exception: There is a Longrow Tokaji Wood Aged 10 years that gets 69 points
and a very short and UKRMish opinion: "Why?"

65-69 Very unimpressive indeed.
51-64 Nasty and well worth avoiding
0-50 Nothing short of absolutely diabolical.

 

The canonical peaty whisky would be Ardbeg.

 

It wouldn't, this is a privately bought barrel that's being bottled.

Could be, think also Lagavulin, Talisker, perhaps a soft Laphroaig but
more hopefully like an old Ardbeg.

 

They're all too peaty for me.

I've never had one. But I like the Longrow, even though it is quite
peaty. Plenty of ukrmers have had the 12-year-old. Opinions?

 

I know, just wanted to know to what it was close. Good to know is not a
girlie Speyside.

Please put any speysider rants here, thanks:
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Don't know Ardbeg (yet, I think I'll fix it in the next Andorra tax free
trip), but IMHO the other three lack the salty bit of Caol Ila.

Looks like book for coming hols will be "Peat smoke and spirit" again.

 

I would agree that Talisker is more peppery, and the other two more
medicinal, iodiney, none are what I would call very salty, although
Laphroaig has a touch of sea breeze in it.

Old Ardbeg (several hundred euros a bottle now) is not the same as new
Ardbeg, of which there are many versions now available.

 

Delish.

 

Fucking know nothing dago. What would some sherry drinking tosser
know of the intricacies and delicacies of speyside malts?

Three excellent Speyside whiskies which spring
immediately to mind; Aberlour, Macallen, Balvenie.

 

Indeed. Balvenie is very fine.

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Heh, it was a calculated provocation, just as opposite to peaty whiskies
I know, it is an exotic way to get suggestions.

Macallan (-en?) is one of my usual drinks, and Dalwhinnie 15 is also
appreciated frequently. Balvenie, I once tried a bottle but did not buy
more. I will consider Aberlour, thanks.

Problem with Speyside is that in Spain there are huge sales of Cardhu, whose
illiterate drinkers tend to speak of as if there was nothing else drinkable
on planet single malt (as they simply don't know any other brand).

 

My current favourite is a 16-year-old Bushmills. Being whiskey it has
no peat at all.

 

<tone of disgust>

"Bushmills? That's protestant whisky!"

</tod>

(I'm expecting Champ to pick this one up.)

 

Point of order, Sir. Not /all/ whiskey is peat-free: the Connemara is
peated:

http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/brand/connemara/whisky282.html

 

Humph. Well I suppose my informant, at the Jameson Old Midleton
Distillery, might not count them.

 

I don't count any of those infernal distaillations, those with the
extraneous "e", myself, never having found one that I like. But
Shirley, any fule kno that there's only one peated Irish.

 

Scotland <-> Kafflicks?

 

The definitive salty peaty would be Highland Park.

Err, Laphroaig shirley ?

Paul.

 

Having tasted the whole lot of them back-to-back earlier this year, I
reckon Ardbeg. YMMV of course.

Scientifically, the peat smoke contains phenols, and these can be
measured, so you get a list like this (numbers are in parts per million):

Bunnahabhain (1–2)
Bruichladdich (3–4)
Springbank (7–8)
Benromach (8)
Ardmore (10–15)
Highland Park (20)
Bowmore (20–25)
Talisker (25–30)
Caol Ila (30–35)
Ledaig (35)
Lagavulin (35–40)
Port Charlotte (40)
Laphroaig (40–43)
Ardbeg (55)
Longrow (55)

 

On a balance of price, colour, smell and taste then Lagavulin 16 y/o
can't be beaten.

But the price has gone a bit silly recently which intensely annoying.

To Pip and others I might point out that Oddbins have a rather good
Ardbeg offer on
www.oddbins.com/products/productDetail.asp?productcode=10950

 

Not to mention the Distiller's Edition...