Review by: INSERT NAME HERE
Let’s set the record straight here: Friend of the site _asipper went to Scotland, visited loads of distilleries, bought all the distillery exclusives, hauled them back to the US, then split them all out for people to try. What a dude.
Here’s Springbank’s entry, as of October of this year. I’ve got samples of Longrow and Hazelburn versions of this too, so reviews of those are coming up! The way that these bottlings works is that they’re a sort of “infinity cask”, containing bits of Springbanks of various ages and various cask types. At the end of the day, they just top of the cask with whatever bits of stock they have on hand at the time.
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Official bottling
Region: Campbeltown
ABV: 52.6%. Cask Strength.
Age: No age statement. Bottled in 2069.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: $100 USD at Springbank Distillery.
Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-Chill Filtered.
Nose: Fresh and sweet. Loads of sweet fruit: pineapple, starfruit, and tangerines. Toffee apples, bran muffins, and those French butter biscuits with milk chocolate. Lightly creamy, and a little beeswaxy too. The peat smoke here is very subtle. Cool floral of misty bromeliads and orange blossoms. There’s just a hint of a sherry note too, with golden raisins and some aged balsamic.
Palate: Thick texture. Arrives sweet and juicy, with tropical fruits, blossoming flowers, honeycomb, and a hint of salt. Hibiscus tea and lavender. Super rich honeycomb and beeswax on the development, with some soft earthy peat smoke and dunnage coming in. Darjeeling tea. Nutty notes of roasted almonds and sesame seeds. The salt intensifies slightly to brine. Crisp apples and flamed baking spices.
Finish: Medium-long, complex and gentle. Here’s the smoke – getting towards smoldering peat and machine shop. Candied tropical fruits, canned pears, apple cider, and tangerines. Pizza crusts drizzled with olive oil. Aloe vera and ferns.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Tropical mountaintop monastery”
Conclusion: Wow, this came out of nowhere. I think I set my expectations a little low for this sample – I mean, I know it’s Springbank, but it’s random bits and pieces of youngish Springbank. Turns out that doesn’t matter, and this is delicious anyways. It really doesn’t feel like a hodgepodge of random cask ends – it’s unexpectedly focused. Amazing how there’s no peat at all on the nose, then a smidge on the palate, then billowing out on the finish. Love all the tropical fruit and fragrant honey throughout. No guarantees that you’ll have the same experience if you buy the current version of this bottling, of course.
Final Score: 89.
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 