
December 31, 2023

Last session of 2023
Seven Springbank including one that was distilled right today

Don't worry, it's not new make a.k.a. British Plain Spirit that would have been delivered to me by private jet early this morning (though I would have loved that, ha-ha-ha). Right, that Springbank we're mentioning was indeed distilled on this very day, the 31st of December, but fifty-six years ago if my math is good. However, before we taste it, let's first have a small aperitif to prepare our nose and palate, then a few other very high-quality Springbanks.

At Springbank Distillery in 2005. Don't we all know that, as we say in France, the best broths are cooked in the oldest pans?... (WF Archive)

The Road to Campbeltown 6 yo 2016/2022 (58.7%, The First Editions, blended malt, refill barrel, cask #HL19188, 273 bottles)

So Springbank? Glen Scotia? Kilkerran? A bit of everything? It does say 'aged in a single cask', which may suggest that it could be a single malt too, unless it was blended at birth. Who knows… Colour: white wine. Nose: it's very hard to tell, because we never try Springbank when it's as young as this – right, there used to be that awesome official 5 yo which was also available in magnums back in the 1960s, early 1970s – while it's very sweet, vanilla-ed and on fresh pastries, without much coastalness, let alone any peat. Orange blossom, candied fruits, cassata, fresh brioche… With water: more of all that, angelica, fresh raisin rolls, bakers' yeast… Mouth (neat): rather on sweet dough and melissa water indeed. Limoncello. With water: really sweet, on bonbons of all kinds and candied ginger. Citrus liqueurs. Finish: medium, on similar flavours. Preserved peaches. More fresh brioche in the aftertaste. Comments: fine drop, young, easy and sweet. I think I've noticed that these improved mucho when they get closer to ten years old.
SGP:641 - 82 points.

Good, we've had our apéritif, let us proceed…

I'm not certain we'll manage to go below 90 points, but that would be a foolish goal, we agree.

Springbank 21 yo 2000/2022 (46.8%, OB, Private Bottling, refilled bourbon hogshead, cask #683)

Colour: white wine. Nose: quintessential Springbank, totally on wet chalk, porridge, engine oil, virgin wool, paraffin, linseed oil and lemon. Nothing is out of place, as they say; this will be quick. Mouth: perhaps a tad more uncertain on the palate, with a slight 'chemical' edge but one that we quite like, reminiscent of Schweppes, concentrated lemon juice and grapefruit-flavoured jello. The rest is a delightful scramble of sea water, smoked fish, tar, polish, hops and lemon zest. That, we absolutely relish. Finish: long, with a hint of green pepper alongside the lemon, sea water, lapsang souchong and smoked almonds. Three green olives in the aftertaste, give it a triple hooray! Comments: this is pure Springbank indeed, aligning with the 10-year-old we're so fond of, just a bit older but that's hardly noticeable, as time doesn't have much effect on these profiles when the casks know how to behave properly.
SGP:453 - 90 points.

Springbank 24 yo 1998/2022 (53.2%, Valinch & Mallet, for Whisky For You, The Secret of Art, bourbon barrel, cask #143, 130 bottles)

According to the label, this baby should send us to the heavens in no time. Colour: gold. Nose: fasten your seatbelts. Pure smoky dough, seawater, a lot of orange blossom water Milanese panettone-style, then many honeys and waxes and polishes. It's not very complicated but it doesn't need to, I mean it shouldn't be. With water: there, clay, slate, wool, mud, dough, aspirin tablet, leaven… Mouth (neat): gloriously citrusy. Pink grapefruits and blood oranges, maracuja, Szechuan pepper, white pepper, drop of varnish, drop of turpentine, drop of seawater, one small oyster, one olive, dollop of fir honey… With water: more medicinal, more on lemons, plasticine, iodine, tarry rubber… How Springbank is all that? Finish: long, a tad more on the honeyed side, which is just as lovely. Salty and medicinal elements are back later on. Comments: any resistance is futile, we bow.
SGP:563 - 92 points.

Springbank 25 yo 1997/2023 (49.1%, Nickolls & Perks, Inaugural Casks, fresh rum barrel, cask #242, 105 bottles)

Full maturation in rum, not a first with Springbank (which is reassuring). Also, love it that they would use a 'cognac bottle', as The Bottlers used to do in the past. It has more chic than one of those decanters that even your mother-in-law wouldn't want. Once it's emptied (I mean, the decanter)... Colour: straw. Nose: The rum is detectable on the nose but it melds beautifully with Springbank, as we've noted before with that famous 'green' Springbank from Cadenhead (1973/1991 – WF 93). In fact, it's pure Springbank once again, with balms, paraffin, fresh almonds, puncture repair glue, olive oil, wet chalk… Truly, there's nothing to discard. Mouth: once more, absolutely nothing to discard. Polish, candied oranges (the rum speaking, I presume), a gluey and varnished aspect, seafood, seaweed, a medicinal hint once more, pine sap, fir honey, candied lemon… But it's so good! Finish: long, a tad more candied, with almond paste, zests, a touch of saltiness... Comments: we're almost on the same level. These vintages are magical and I remember thinking, fifteen years ago, how eager I was to taste them when they'd reach their twenty-fifth year. Here we are!
SGP:563 - 91 points.

Springbank 30 yo 1993/2023 (52.4%, OB, Private Bottling, Michiel Wigman, cask #157, 210 bottles)

A kind of selfie-bottling, that's funny and cool. What you need to know and understand is that our friend Michiel Wigman is the most knowledgeable Springbank expert and collector in this galaxy, and probably within many other galaxies. Moreover, we're familiar with the reputation of the 1993 vintage at Springbank, aren't we? Colour: golden. Nose: we're back to a much more austere profile, heavily on chalk, fresh concrete, crushed slate, a new jumper (how was Christmas?), pizza dough, pine nut, linseed oil, apple juice, lemon zest... With water: we're wading through the muddy areas of Campbeltown and loving it. Mouth (neat): such a dense texture is rare. It's truly a blend of oil, sea water and lime juice. A real blade, as they say. With water: the pepper comes through, as does the pine resin, and the sea water even more so. There's almost a hint of Talisker; I hope these words won't offend anyone. Finish: long, quite fermentative, yet clear, strong, more citrusy. The salt tickles in the aftertaste. Comments: simply unbeatable, just avoid adding too much water.
SGP:563 - 93 points.

Springbank 25 yo 1992/2017 (50.9%, OB, private label, cask #118)

In my opinion, the vintages from the late 1980s (like, er, 1989) and the very, very beginning of the 1990s (like, er, 1990) were sometimes a bit complicated at Springbank, partly due to a "Wood Expressions" series that often favoured exotic and, let's say, slightly deviant casks. But according to my humble personal observations, everything got back on track by 1991. That's why we're very curious about this private version, quite rare but with a very engaging light colour. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: dare I say "bingo"? Here is another Springbank of exceptional purity, without any marked wood and with even less of strange wines, entirely on wet chalk, linseed oil, candied lemon, green olive, paraffin oil, riesling and virgin wool. The perfect culmination of our 'magic wax arc' we keep rambling about (we'll find a better term another day) which goes, from north to south, from Highland Park to Clynelish, then to Benromach (in recent years), then to Ben Nevis, and then, to Springbank. Some notes of celery and turnip also emerge and add complexity. Water brings out more of the virgin wool, tweed, paraffin, and even the wonderful aromas of a freshly opened packet of bergamotes de Nancy. Mouth: still that lemony purity to start with, then even more riesling, limestone, seaweed, oysters, candle wax and root vegetables. Still celery, gentian too... A few drops of water bring an even more saline and slightly tarry side. Finish: long, on similar notes, it had already told us everything before. A drop of cough syrup. Comment: a very great natural Springbank, matured by time rather than by the cask and/or its previous contents. Twenty-five years is a perfect age for Springbank (you keep rambling, S.)
SGP :463 - 92 points

Springbank 31 yo 1991/2022 (49.3%, Hunter Laing, Old & Rare, Platinum Selection, hogshead, cask #HL 19905, 188 bottles)

In theory… Colour: full gold. Nose: this one is quite different, more on fruit pastes, such as Alsatian quince paste, then marzipan, bergamots, orange marmalade (in significant quantities), even fudge, mirabelle plum jam, orange blossom, as well as mastic, polish, elderflower... In short, a completely pacified Springbank, reminiscent of some of the old Local Barleys distilled in the 1960s. Or you may consider those 'West Highland Malts'. Mouth: beware, the beast has awoken, with lots of oils and waxes, bitter almonds, old walnuts, even a bit of mustard and curry. Then come the salty and smoky notes, some increasingly intense minerality, herbal teas, this chalky and oily aspect, but also dried grapes and figs. All of this is quite incredible, truly. Finish: even more incredible, it becomes rather floral now, with lots of honey, pollen, flower jellies... I'm thinking particularly of mullein (which is very good for the throat!) Comments: it can be enjoyed with or without two drops of water, but not more. A tremendous recent Springbank, one of the rare names that continue to stand their grounds in strictly all their versions, apart from a few wine-dressed expressions, the naughty ducklings of the distillery. But I think I've noticed that even the latter are beginning to be palatable (as long as one carefully avoids the very improbable 'Reds').
SGP:652 - 93 points.

While we're at it and since we were discussing the 1960s…

Springbank 10 yo 1967/1978 (59%, OB, butt, cask #3129, Sutti Import, Italy)

Oh that black label. Imagine, this baby was distilled on this very day fifty-six years ago, on December 31, 1967. It was very rare that such details, including the cask number, were disclosed on labels back in the 1970s. More proof that Springbank, the most 'retro' of all distilleries, has always been at the forefront of maltdom. Hope that will never change.

Colour: mahogany. Nose: can you say 'Samarolian'? Sherry and distillate are playing it Page and Plant, Laurel and Hardy, or Miles and Trane here. Or Santana and Shrieve. Roasted chestnuts, biltong, Maggi sauce, gravy, coffee, balsamico, walnut wine, coal tar, old white burgundy, horse saddle, cigars, dried parsley, black truffles (vividly), hoisin, venison, very old PX, heavier honeys and molasses, maple syrup, black nougat, liquorice, Corinthian raisins, roasted pecans, walnut stain, potting soil, Spanish ham, pipe tobacco… And so many other aromas. With water: truffle soup or morel soup? Some metallic touches appearing, metal polish, old tools, copper coins, old stove, all that… Classic development. Mouth (neat): have you called the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade yet? Because it's even grander on the palate. Exceptional nougats and turons, sweet tobaccos, bananas flambéed, bouillons and broths, coffee and chocolate, dried fruits of all kinds (figs and dates first), some kind of mint-and-honey sauce, liquorice… The huge salinity, which was not this common in older Springbanks in my experience, tends to come to the front of the stage, which is extremely impressive. Right. With water: very tiny soapy touch (saponification with water) that's soon to disappear, then just everything we've already listed, while the whole is getting tarrier and more on bitter marmalade. Impressive. Finish: the smoke chiming in, more minerals, more gravies too, and just myriads of other, well, 'things'. Comments: imagine it's genuinely a ten-year-old, and not one of those young whiskies from the past that were boosted by much older whiskies because they weren't selling anyway! Well, we're going to light a candle in the hope that we might see such greatness again, but that would require the use of real sherry casks, meaning casks that have housed, even if only for a year or even a few months (transport casks), quality old sherries that one would sip with huge pleasure. Anyway, you see what I'm getting at.
SGP:663 - 96 points.

By the way, the sad fate of Whitney Houston reminds us that alcohol can become our worst enemy if we don't control our intake. I'm well aware that some Whiskyfun sessions may suggest that we indulge daily and that we lead almost the life of a country priest or a MP from the last century, but rest assured that this is not the case and that we ensure we only consume the strictly necessary quantities for the writing of our humble little tasting notes.

Whitney Houston
The Bodyguard, 1992

Except, perhaps, when it comes to Brora 1972 or Springbank 1967 indeed. And then, whisky is a culture, it's not just alcohol. In any case, you will have noticed that the great singer, in this screenshot from the 1992 film 'The Bodyguard' with Kevin Costner, drinks from the neck of a Springbank 'black label'. But rest assured, the brand was chosen only for the needs of the film, it wasn't Springbank that ultimately killed Whitney Houston. We are safe.

Here's to next year! That's tomorrow and we'll try to have a few 'Bs'… Shh…

(Merci beaucoup, Angus, Diego et Tim)

Check the index of all Springbank we've tasted so far

Last session of 2023 Seven Springbank including one that was distilled right today

Last session of 2023
Seven Springbank including one that was distilled right today