Springbank 18 Year (bottled 2021)

Review by: The Muskox

This is a 2021 batch of Springbank 18. I’ve had (an older batch of) this whisky before, but it was over 4 years ago and I never ended up publishing a review for it.

This was a somewhat quicker blind review that I did over Discord with some friends, where I only tried to guess the whisky and didn’t give a blind score. My tasting notes are all pre-reveal.

Distillery: Springbank.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Campbeltown.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 18 years. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: A vatting of 50% bourbon casks and 50% sherry casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Orange-amber. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Fonky. Slightly sour earth, lightly industrial, some dried herbs, even a little farmy. Old books. Musky mango, coconut husk, roasted apple, a hint of raisins, and grape tomato. A bit lactic – cheesecake. Creamy milk chocolate, manuka honey, salted caramel. Farmier with time. All of a sudden, cardamom, along with cola and graphite.

Palate: Medium texture. Soft orange, rich caramel, lightly salty on the arrival. Moderate tobacco, oak, light peat, more mango and cola on the development. Farmy again. Slightly syrupy fruit, plus bittersweet citrus rinds.

Finish:

Medium, earthy-rich. Lemon tea, chocolate fudge. Worn leather, lightly earthy, and a hint of peat smoke.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Farmhouse formal brunch and tractor-repair party”

Conclusion: I can definitely see why this has disappointed some people in comparison to the 15 and the 12CS. The palate doesn’t really live up to the nose in terms of richness and complexity. Pouring the rest of the dram a couple weeks after the blind taste, I’m getting more of a pineapple note now but otherwise like it about the same.

Final Score: 85.

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.

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