Review by: Raygun

One of the more tatered releases from the most tatered Scotch distillery. This 2020 release of the Local Barley series was made from Belgravia barley from Glencraigs Farm, and departing from Springbank tradition with this series, was aged in a sherry cask. 8500 bottles. I don’t know what the release price was, but now people are asking $700+. Reviewed from a sample. Notes from initial blind tasting, with additions in italics a couple of days later after reveal. Rested about 15 minutes. Not one of my finer moments as a blind taster, but I’m putting it out there nonetheless

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Distillery: Springbank

Bottler: Springbank

Region/style: Campbeltown single malt Scotch

ABV: 55.6%. 

Age: 10 years. 

Cask type: Oloroso sherry  

Color:  1.6 mahogany. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: Too much

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Nose: Fruity, with an old cellar kind of smell. It’s got some florals to it as well. The kind of thing that point me in an Armagnac direction. Prunes and a touch of cinnamon. But I also get some apple, so can’t rule out Calvados. Nice depth to this. Even when I know what it is, it smells brandy-like. Though sherry casks can overlap with that quite a bit.

Palate: A little spicier here. Cinnamon and cardamom. Prune flavor is stronger as well, and some raisins tossed in. ABV feels like the low 50s. A splash of water brings out cake and Chinese black plums. Definitely thinking it’s brandy. There’s a silky quality to the mouthfeel that’s hard to describe. I mostly stand by my notes. I might have been describing the wrong thing, but I think I did so pretty accurately. If anything, I undersold the prune/black plum flavor.

Finish: Prunes and raisins. Some more earthy and somewhat musty flavor. The floral aspect picks up, and I get some tarragon. Oak is stronger here, with some black tea. The prune flavor is the dominant one, though. A strong kind of black tea, like Russian Caravan.

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Guess: Pretty comfortable saying it’s brandy, but that’s about as certain as I can get. Leaning toward Armagnac. Got some age to it, I think, I’d say 20-25 years. Not the really old stuff. ABV 50-55%.  

Conclusion: Whatever it is, it is tasty. Which is somewhat odd, because actual prunes, raisins, and Chinese black plums (which are a kind of prune) are not my favorite things, but in liquid form, it works. The spice and oak help for sure. I wouldn’t put it at the very top of my brandy scale, but it’s not far down. 

Post-reveal thoughts: OK, I was totally wrong. Except about the ABV, which was reasonably close. In my defense, it’s not very Springbank-y: no farmyard or diesel or anything like that. Prune/plum is pretty common in sherry casks, but not to this extent, and I think that threw me off. 

Buy a bottle? The silver lining of trying it this way is I now know that instead of spending $700+ to get this Springbank, I can get a similar experience with a brandy that would probably be ~$150.  

Final Score: 86

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)