Review by: TOModera
What was the occasion: I’m back to blends and blended malts because I accidentally drank an Edradour that I thought was a blend.
Cue old school “Combo Breaker” sound from Killer Instinct. I’m not looking it up, I don’t want to know how old it is and I’m already dealing with a mid-life crisis as it is.
What whisky did we review? Campbeltown Loch 25 is a blend of 9 different whiskies with a high (70%) malt blend. The youngest among them is 25 years old, however most of them are older. It was made by Springbank distillery, probably because the high demand for good whisky drove them to prove they could top themselves on decadence but with a blend.
That may sound like bias, but jump down to the composition and then argue with me. That all said, the below Composition did not come from an official source, so if it’s wrong, I’ll change it and promise to not end democracy by running for the highest political office in my country.
What’s the distillery? Springbank is a small, lesser known distillery that a lot of people overlook… is what I’d say if I could use sarcasm to denote I’m making a cheeky joke. Sadly this is writing. Granted if I was saying it out loud it would all come out at once and rushed and kinda nasally, I think.
Oh, yeah, Springbank distillery: Basically the reason that Campbeltown is still a region. Also in the same company as Cadenhead’s. One of the most celebrated Scotch distilleries out there. You have to line up for the standard offerings they are so popular.
What’s my bias? A long time ago, when I was just getting into whisky, I made it very clear to friends and family that whisky stones were useless. The majority of them listened, and instead I ended up with a few whisky books (none of which were named after a holy book). Campbeltown Loch was listed as one I should try, so I bought a small sample, and enjoyed it.
Oh, and Springbank was the first bottle I ever bought just to review for an internet thing, and I am consistently excited to try new ones.
Also when I was first getting into whisky, obtaining a Campbeltown whisky was very difficult, so I jumped at the chance to try any of them, and that elevated the whisky region in my mind.
I might be a tad biassed. But this isn’t totally Campbeltown, and I’m a few thousand more reviews ahead then back then, so I should be able to review this honestly, right?
Right?
Distillery: Springbank Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Blended Scotch.
ABV: 40%.
Age: 25 years. Bottled in 2002.
Cask type: Unknown.
Price: € 390
Color: 5YR 5/10
Nose: McIntosh red apple, smoke, butter, creme caramel, cinnamon syrup
I went into the review for this whisky seeing the abv and wondered if I would get a lot of complexity. My initial thought was it’d be a bit dull due to the watering down.
Then I nosed it, and got these moments of big flavours and simpler, but still strong flavours. There’s a strong, odd sweet note, and a good amount of butter and spice.
Taste: Apple, honey, oats, moss, oak
The fact I could make an apple crumble any time I want is like leaving a fox in the henhouse. This whisky further explains that point. The lighter whisky is hiding what I presume was the complexity on the nose, though the eventual mix is quite nice. The oak balances out the other sweet notes quite well.
Finish: Apricot, honey, apple cider, brine
More tart, more complex, and some added brine is now balancing this out. Again, all the flavours mesh really well together, and it’s nice to sip on. Is it blowing my mind? No. Am I a big honey and apricot fan? Hell yes. It’s really easy to sip this. It’s what the English call “moorish”, which means it’s so nice you want more and more.
Aka it’s a bottle that’ll evaporate on you quick.
Conclusion: Honey soaked minerality. It’s an odd whisky in that it punches above the accountant strength dram that it is and is quite nice, but also makes you wonder if you didn’t lose all the alcohol to the angels (fungus), what would it taste like?
Part of me wonders if this was made because the casks were running out, and worked well together. It really is a nice whisky where you keep coming back and having more and more of it. The apple and honey and spice and balance are all quite nice. Is this whisky “sell your kids” nice? Debatable, but I don’t include price into my reviews. Is it “this is how blends should taste”? I’d say yes, as they presented an enjoyable dram. Try it if you get the chance.
Final Score: 83.
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 