Longrow Red 7 Year Pinot Noir Finish 750ML

Longrow Red 7 Year Pinot Noir Finish 750ML is a cask-strength, heavily peated Campbeltown single malt scotch whisky bottled at 57.1% ABV in a 750ml bottle. This limited annual release from the Longrow Red series stands apart through its unusual combination of heavy peat smoke and extended finishing in French Pinot Noir wine casks — a pairing that layers dark fruit complexity over a deeply smoky backbone.

Quick Facts: ABV: 57.1%  |  Origin: Campbeltown, Scotland  |  Age: 7 Years  |  Distillery: Springbank

Production & Heritage

Longrow is one of three distinct single malt lines produced at the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland — one of the last surviving distilleries in what was once Scotland's whisky capital. The Longrow range is defined by its heavily peated character, with the barley dried over peat for up to 48 hours before mashing. This expression is double distilled, then matured for four years in bourbon barrels before spending a further three years finishing in French Pinot Noir wine casks. Springbank remains one of the few Scottish distilleries to handle every step of production on-site, from malting through bottling, and releases in the Longrow Red series are produced in limited quantities each year with different wine cask finishes.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with earthy peat smoke and charred oak, giving way to dark berries, red currants, and sour plums. Beneath the fruit, subtle musty notes mingle with hints of vanilla and coal fire.

Taste: The palate enters sweet and savory simultaneously — smoked ham and cured meats collide with raspberry jam, wine gums, and honey. At mid-palate, black pepper spice and bitter orange pith build intensity, while the Pinot Noir influence delivers a tannic, berry-forward undercurrent. The cask-strength proof gives it considerable weight, though the sweetness from the wine casks keeps it balanced.

Finish: The finish is long and assertive, with lingering pickling spice, charred oak, and a dry, smoky fade. Cherry and sour fruit notes echo softly as the peat slowly reclaims the palate.

How to Drink Longrow Red

At 57.1% ABV, this whisky benefits from a few drops of water to unlock the wine cask influence and temper the heat — though seasoned peat drinkers will find it rewarding at full strength. Neat in a Glencairn is the ideal primary serve, letting the interplay of smoke and dark fruit develop over time. For cocktails: try it in a Blood & Sand, where the cherry and smoke notes amplify the drink's classic profile; a Penicillin, where the heavy peat and fruit sweetness replace blended scotch with dramatic effect; or a Rob Roy, where the Pinot Noir finish naturally bridges the gap between whisky and sweet vermouth.

Best For

• Peat lovers exploring wine cask finishes for the first time
• Gifting a Campbeltown or Springbank collector
• Side-by-side tastings comparing peated malts with different cask influences
• After-dinner sipping alongside a cheese course or charcuterie

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Longrow Red taste like? Longrow Red 7 Year Pinot Noir Finish delivers an intense combination of heavy peat smoke, dark berries, cured meats, and baking spice. The French Pinot Noir cask finishing adds a tannic, red fruit sweetness that tempers and complicates the smoky core.

How does Longrow Red compare to Laphroaig 10? Both are heavily peated single malts, but Laphroaig 10 leans toward iodine, seaweed, and medicinal character at a lower 43% ABV, while Longrow Red brings earthy Campbeltown peat with a pronounced dark fruit and savory dimension from its Pinot Noir cask finish at cask strength (57.1% ABV).

Is Longrow Red good for sipping neat? Yes — this is fundamentally a sipping whisky, designed to be explored neat or with a splash of water to open the wine cask complexity at cask strength.

Where is Longrow Red made? Longrow Red is produced at the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, on the Kintyre Peninsula of western Scotland. Springbank is one of Campbeltown's last operating distilleries and handles all production on-site, including floor malting and bottling.

What foods pair well with Longrow Red? Aged Comté or Gruyère cheese complements the smoke and fruit; cured charcuterie like bresaola mirrors the whisky's savory, meaty notes; dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage stands up to the peat intensity; smoked salmon echoes the smoky character; and dried figs or dates reinforce the dark fruit sweetness from the Pinot Noir cask.

What sizes does Longrow Red come in? Longrow Red 7 Year Pinot Noir Finish is available in the standard 750ml bottle size.

Is Longrow Red worth the price? Longrow Red positions as a limited-release, cask-strength single malt from a highly regarded independent distillery — placing it firmly in the premium tier. The combination of hand-floor-malted barley, extended wine cask maturation, and small-batch production makes it a strong value within the collectible peated scotch category.

Why Longrow Red?

What separates this expression from the broader peated scotch landscape is its specific maturation path: four years in bourbon wood followed by three full years — not a brief finishing period — in French Pinot Noir casks. That extended secondary maturation allows genuine integration between smoke and fruit rather than a superficial wine veneer. Springbank's commitment to on-site floor malting and 48-hour peat drying gives Longrow a distinctly earthy, Campbeltown-inflected smokiness that reads differently from Islay peat. Released in limited annual batches, the Longrow Red series rotates its wine cask type each year, making each edition a snapshot of a specific vintage and cask interaction that won't be replicated.