Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I’m trying to mix in some non-Islay scotches into my reviews, so here’s some more Springbank. I know the trip from Islay to Campbeltown isn’t a long one as the crow (seagull?) flys, but what can I say, I know what I like 🙂 I don’t have a lot of Springbank in my collection, and that’s a shame. I’m working on fixing that, slowly.
Tasted on 9/13/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
Springbank 13 Year (1996) Oddbins
A single Manzanilla sherry cask 13yr Springbank bottled for Oddbins. Acquired and opened in Dec 2018. This looks like what seems like a hundred other random Springbank single cask bottlings. And yet…
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Campbeltown
ABV: 55.6%, cask strength
Age: NAS. Distilled in 1996. Bottled in 2009.
Cask type: Manzanilla
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. One of 588 bottles, from a single cask #260.
Nose: rich dark stewed berries (raisins, Bing cherries, figs, etc.), salt, almond skins, walnuts, cocoa, orange peel, candle wax, faint wood smoke, sea shells, hemp rope, there’s a slight undertone of sulphur, and a funk throughout it I can’t quite place. With Water: knocks back the sherry, more smoke and sea notes, otherwise similar. I’d say water really pulls this more into balance.
A big, complex nose. Coming back to it after the 21 it even smells viscous, if that’s possible.
Taste: dry, dark sweet berries, salt, oil, medium+ mouthfeel, seaweed, white pepper, some of that wax, some of that sea. With Water: sweeter, more of the sea comes through, mouthfeel gets bigger, not as dry.
Finish: explosion of sherry, dark sweet berries, brine, white pepper, oil, there’s some underlying funk to it, long (surprisingly) and dry. With Water: toned down the sherry pop a bit, well balanced, more sea comes through, a nice light smoke note in there now, more oily.
It’s complex on all fronts, but neat the balance is obviously off from the notes: it’s a sherry grenade, and proud of it. But wow, so much going on in this and the nose is just amazing. Adding a little splash of water helps this quite a lot: becomes balanced throughout, the mouth gets bigger and richer, and the finish is excellent.
I’ve had a few Springbanks aged in Manzanilla casks, and every one of them has been excellent. This is a bottle I love and I’ve been hoarding it.
The closest comparison I have to this one is the Glenfarclas 30 Year (1986) Refill Sherry Butts Nos. 3454 & 3457 I’ll let friends have a dram of the Glenfarclas before I’ll let them at this 😉
Final Score: 95.
Springbank 21 Year Douglas Laing’s XOP
Part of Douglas Laing’s “Xtra Old Particular” series, this is a single cask 21yr Springbank. Acquired and opened in Dec 2018.
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Douglas Laing (DL)
Region: Scotland, Campbeltown
ABV: 54.3%, cask strength
Age: 21 years old. Distilled in 10/1996. Bottled in 03/2018.
Cask type: Refill Hogshead
Natural color. Non-chill-filtered. #29 of 332 bottles, from a single cask #DL 12379.
Nose: apple, soot, apricot, hay, green grass, some wax, seaweed, a little wood smoke, camphor, fir trees. Bright and clean, not super-complex. With Water: very waxy now, more peachy, still with some leafy hay and light smoke.
Taste: sweet lemon, salt, oil, a bit dry, little white pepper, some sea, somewhat grassy, medium+ mouthfeel. Fairly hot. With Water: still sweet with lemon/peach, salty, mouthfeel is the same, light smoke added, not as hot at all.
Finish: lemon, salt, wax, long, a bit dry, the tail end of it is a tiny bit bitter with lemon rind. With Water: Remains a bit sweeter on lemons and peaches, and waxier, still with that salt. A subdued smoke. Bitterness is gone off the end and it leaves you with a long, lemon/salt/wax flavor.
This is very, very good, a pretty interesting bottling. The palate doesn’t quite follow from the nose, and it’s not especially complex, so neat I’d give it a lower mark. But with a small splash of water those waxy notes pop, the smoke comes up a bit and it turns into something excellent all around. A real treat.
Final Score: 90.
Comparison
Order: 13yr Oddbins > 21yr XOP
This is why I love single casks and IBs. Here are two truly excellent Springbanks that are incredibly different from each other. Tasting them back and forth is like night and day, one rich and full of sherry, the other bright and crisp with lemons and wax. For me the nod goes to the 13yr with it’s incredible complexity: toss a little water in there and it’s something special.
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.
Malt Runners 