Longrow Rundlets & Kilderkins Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Longrow Rundlets & Kilderkins Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Nearly two centuries ago, the town of Campbeltown, located on a narrow peninsula in southwest Scotland, was considered the whisky capital of the world. Passengers arriving by sea at Campbeltown Loch, nestled between Macringan's Point and the rocky island of Davaar, were greeted with the sails and masts of the herring fishing fleet and the smoking chimneys of nearly thirty different distilleries that called Campbeltown home. Two hundred years later, Campbeltown Loch is considerably quieter and only three chimneys continue to billow smoke each acting as a beacon for an industry that, at one point, dominated the peninsula. In 1828, Springbank Distillery was founded on the site of Archibald Mitchell's illicit still in Campbeltown (today, Mitchell's great-great-great-grandson owns the distillery). Within ten years, its whisky was so well-regarded that a blender by the name of Johnnie Walker purchased 118 gallons at 43 pence a gallon. By the turn of the century as worldwide demand for Scotch whisky seemed insatiable distilleries throughout Scotland began cutting corners and outsourcing parts of the distillation process. Springbank Distillery, however, remained true to its Scottish heritage. Today, it remains one of only two distilleries in Scotland to perform every step of the whisky making process from malting barley to bottling whisky on the same premises. Longrow Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a heavily peated single malt whisky crafted by Springbank Distillery. The whisky was initially produced as an experiment by Mitchell, who wanted to prove that it was possible to produce an Islay-style whisky on the Scottish mainland. The whisky produced was so extraordinary that within a few years, Longrow became a critical component of Springbank's portfolio. Longrow Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made using barley, which is malted and dried over a peat flame at the Campbeltown distillery. After the barley has been peated, it is milled and mashed in cast-iron mash tuns that are nearly a century old. The pure spring water used during the mashing process is sourced from Crosshill Loch, which in turn is fed by springs situated on the northern slopes of 1100-foot tall Beinn Ghuilean Mountain. Once the grains have been mashed, they are slowly fermented over the course of 70 hours one of the longest fermentation processes in Scotland before being distilled twice. Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins Single Malt Scotch Whisky was distilled in 2001 and matured for just over 11 years in rundlets and kilderkins. A rundlet, or kilderkin, refers to a small oak cask that can hold approximately 18 gallons of whisky. Centuries ago, rundlets were sold directly to wealthy aristocrats in Europe, who would age the whisky on their own estate and consume it directly from the barrel. After maturing for a minimum of 11 years, Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins was bottled at 103 proof without the use of chill filtration or artificial coloring. Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins Single Malt Scotch Whisky has an aroma of red wine, smoky pine and honeyed oak. The initial notes of tropical and orchard fruits on the palate (including pears, apricots and red apples) give way to subtle undertones of earthy minerals, peaty smoke and maple syrup. The finish, which is bold and powerful, has touches of smoke, pepper and mint. Only 9,000 bottles of this single malt Scotch whisky were ever produced. Pick one up today!