Review by: The Muskox
I’ve had this sample on me for quite a while, saving it for a special occasion, but after a month away from my whisky I ran out of patience and just decided to pour it on a normal Wednesday evening. Springbank is one of my favourite distilleries, and Sauternes casks are probably my favourite wine casks for whisky. There was no way for this bottling to not be good.
Distillery: Springbank.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Campbeltown.
ABV: 56.6%. Cask strength.
Age: 11 years. Distilled in November 2011. Bottled August 28th 2019.
Cask type: First-fill Sauternes white wine hogshead.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Amber. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: A basement tiki bar. Syrupy sweet notes of tropical punch, rum-soaked raisins, fig bars, canned pineapple, guava, Curacao, grapefruit, and lime, as well as cooked barley, macaroons, fragrant beeswax, and wildflower honey. There’s not very much peat at all, but plenty of rich earthy industrial Springbank mustiness. Rich spicy flavours of exotic woods, vanilla, nutmeg, root beer, and a little bit of camphor. Something vaguely savoury… perhaps sesame oil.
Palate: Thick and oily texture. A little hot, but it’s more of a ‘spicy’ heat than a ‘burning’ heat, if that makes sense. Dark fruit, toasted coconut, cola, and burnt key lime pie on the arrival. Super intense machine shop, iodine, ink(??), and eucalyptus in the middle, then the storms part to reveal lime, macadamia nuts, blackcurrant jam, demerara sugar, and baking spices. There’s definitely some of that green-grassy-tropical “hand cream” note I’ve gotten from other Longrows. More nuts ‘n’ spices: black sesame, walnut oil, charred resinous jungle woods, spicy cedar, and ginger beer. Some mild black tea and sugary oak tannic notes.
Finish: Long and spicy, with the gingery spice going deep into the chest. Drill rig lubricant, dunnage, nori, and camphor. Wine gums, caramels, and barley sugar. Birch, clove, black tea, orange oil, and a hint of licorice. Green bananas and lime. Briny and coastal.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Do not anger the tiki gods!!”
Conclusion: What a whisky! It’s right in my wheelhouse of flavours – sweet, tropical, gingery, and, uh, Springbank-y. I’m surprised at just how little smoke there is, though there’s plenty of peat and earth. Those intense bitter industrial notes really cut through the sweetness. What really helped make this special is that the first sip of the whisky brought an intense gingery warmth to my chest which lasted through the whole dram. I’m not certain that’d happen every time with this whisky, but it definitely enhanced today’s tasting experience.
Final Score: 92.
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 