
December 11, 2025

A nice little shipment of ten recent Springbanks before Christmas

To really get ourselves into the festive spirit, you see. And for even more fun, we’re going to try pushing the WF machine to its limits and do it all randomly rather than in order of age, or even by increasing ABV. After all, “Those who never wish to do anything foolish are not as wise as they think,” wrote La Rochefoucauld in 1664. Mind you, it’s going to be hard to score under 90/100, especially since there’s no bizarre finishing lined up, but indeed, Christmas is nearly here.

Springbank 25 yo 1999/2025 (54.4%, Kanpaikai Japan and The Antelope, refill hogshead, cask #800369E, 177 bottles)

Colour: reddish amber. Nose: this is a fairly rounded Springbank, on praline and toffee, with some very lovely notes of salted butter caramel, the salt lending a faint maritime dimension. A drop of water should loosen things up and let us delve a little ‘into the molecular structure of the aromas’... Very faint rubber, leather and tobacco, which is all quite ‘Springbank’ anyway. With water: charcoal, shoe polish and even smoked salmon float back up, while the tobacco veers clearly towards proper Cuban puros. Mouth (neat): much feistier, livelier and punchier than on the nose, with an almost aggressive hit of concentrated lemon juice (though one surrenders happily) then a very saline, peppery and liquorice-rooty structure. As they say down the bistro, it speaks. With water: that ‘distilled manzanilla’ profile we cherish in some Springbanks. The polish makes a strong comeback, as do oysters, tar, and heaps more lemon. Finish: very long, more resinous, more camphory, firmer, more phenolic. Comments: to fully appreciate it, you need 1. time and 2. water. Otherwise, forget it. With both, we leap from still photography to full cinema.
SGP:463 - 91 points.

Springbank 25 yo 1999/2025 (42.2%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drinks, refill hogshead, 229 bottles)

Same set-up, but at a much lower strength, suggesting a rather ‘wet’ maturation, unless it isn’t actually cask strength, which we very much doubt. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: well, this is as gentle as a lamb, reminiscent of some fairly youthful OBs from bygone days, all on slightly tart apple, wet sand, basalt, shoe polish, paraffin oil, fresh seaweed, pistachio oil, and carbolineum... It’s really ultra-ultra-classic, with the faintest hint of menthol. Mouth: perfect, clean lines, pitch-perfect strength (we’ll save the Vittel – by the way Nestlé, the cheque still hasn’t arrived), with oils, a touch of engine oil, lemon, smoked fish, citrus fruits, oysters, and chalk... Finish: surprisingly long, fresh yet rather fat, extremely maritime. A touch of waxed cardboard. Comments: hard not to think of the best batches of the official 10-year-old, with just that wee extra complexity from age. We totally adore the 10-year-old, and this 1999 as well, naturally.
SGP:362 - 91 points.

Springbank 30 yo 1994/2025 (44.8%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drams, refill hogshead, 238 bottles)

With a label that’s thoroughly dreamlike and almost Chagall-esque. Colour: paler than the palest white wine. Nose: virtually pure mezcal, with metal polish, cactus oil (does that exist?) and a very curious old bottle effect for such a recent release, which takes us back once again to the palest of the old official bottlings, black labels and all that. Damp cardboard, tar oil, fresh plaster, and bandages, though all in moderation. Mouth: this really echoes the 1999, though it’s even more mineral and rooty, more austere, perhaps a touch less ‘for everyone’ (a feeble attempt, S.), but with some sublime citrus notes emerging, like in a very old bottle of limoncello found in a little trattoria in a tiny town somewhere in the Italian hills, far from the tourist hordes. You get the picture... Finish: lovely lemony length, full of breed and purity, despite this ‘old country lane half-tarred after the first rain in three months’ kind of thing. Why not, near that same little Italian town far from the tourist zones... Comments: I love this stuff, and also that touch of underripe mango right at the very end (of the end).
SGP:462 - 93 points.

Springbank 28 yo 1997/2025 (44.6%, Whisky Business, The Inventors, Alexander Graham Bell, hogshead, cask #332, 88 bottles)

Well now, it seems that good Mr Bell has already found himself on quite a few Scotch labels, starting with Glenfarclas and a fair few others. Colour: deep gold. Nose: here comes a slightly less fresh version, more marked by the cask, yet still carrying all the hallmarks of a proper old Springbank – the tension, the fatness, the sea, and all those faintly industrial notes we’re so fond of: machine oil, paraffin, carbon and so on. Over all that, some lemon honey or something of that ilk. Mouth: oh blast, it’s happened again, we’re still above the 90 line, this time with a brinier, almost vinegar-y profile (old balsamic) and truly heaps of shellfish, a little Tabasco, some oloroso notes (no idea if there’s any in there), juniper, oregano, pepper, tobacco, black olive... There’s almost a flavour jumble here, but we love it, it’s a proper labyrinth. You’ve just got to hang on tight... (we certainly are). Finish: long, fairly fatty, with notes of old sweet wine, a touch of retsina, then chestnut cream and cocoa. Comments: in truth, this Springbank is rather wild and perhaps not terribly crowd-pleasing. More for us…
SGP:463 - 91 points.

Springbank 30 yo 1994/2025 (45.5%, The Auld Alliance, 15th Anniversary, cask #91)

Some wicked tongues have accused me of already polishing off half a bottle of this baby, in an environment teeming with sharks and great barracudas. I mean that literally, not figuratively. Colour: white wine. Nose: rather different from the others, in that it starts with more precision, quite earthy and rather rooty, which suggests carrot, gentian, and even celery and parsnip – quite a beautiful ensemble, truth be told. The vegetables are soon joined by shoe polish, mandarin, damp chalk and even a little olive oil. Almost a literary profile, one might say, with something adorable, nearly refined. Mouth: more peppery, more lemony, more energetic, chalkier still, and extremely close to the distillate, just how we like them. The saltiness only grows, taking us once more in the direction of a distilled manzanilla (but who will dare make one someday?) It also becomes increasingly medicinal, always fresh, always taut as a bowstring, yet never aggressive. Finish: long, clean, vertical, with a lovely green pepper weaving its way in, right through to a very dry aftertaste, and very... manzanilla! Comments: one of the great whiskies of the year, probably in the same aromatic cluster as the 30-year-old from WhiskyLand, only a touch fatter. God, how we love these!
SGP:463 - 93 points.

Springbank 20 yo (53.5%, OB for SG60, Singapore 60th Anniversary, 2025)

One of the bottlings produced by Singapore’s top whisky bars to celebrate the country’s sixtieth anniversary. It seems to us that this particular choice is especially well judged... Colour: full gold. Nose: as is often the case, the owners go for casks that speak louder of the wood, though with Springbank, given the texture and personality of the distillate, it’s rather tricky to overdo things in that department. Even though there’s a touch of sulphur here, not unusual in OB Springbanks, then plenty of sage and tarragon, and even a whiff of truffle. With water: more truffle still, cooked leek, new plastic... Mouth (neat): fat, ample, citrusy, very peppery, fairly vinegary, with that tarragon coming further forward still. This is not one of your ‘quiet’ Springbanks. Old-school tar liqueur and a dab of hoisin sauce. With water: orange peel, pepper, cinchona and tar. Not one for the neighbours, that’s for sure. Finish: long, rather drying, vinegary, salty and very peppery. Comments: truly a Springbank for specialists, fairly extreme and not remotely ‘commercial’, which makes perfect sense given it was chosen by ‘top whisky bars’. I imagine they’ve got top clientele too...
SGP:363 - 90 points.

Springbank 20 yo (54.6%, Best Dram, Kirsch Import Awakening Series, Whisky Live Germany, 1st fill oloroso hogshead, 107 bottles, 2025)

We absolutely loved the first Whisky Live Germany this year, in Hamburg. Even the Deutsche Bahn currywurst wasn’t half bad, so just imagine the Springbanks... Colour: amber. Nose: same age as the recent Singaporean one, but this one’s far more easy-going on the nose, more classic, on orange zest, dates stuffed with marzipan, tobacco, pepper liqueur, even a touch of fudge... It may lose a little character, but it’s vastly more approachable, and frankly, one can’t complain. With water: same story, it folds in a little, but brings out some lovely tobacco. Mouth (neat): simple (for Springbank), immediate, on citrus sodas including Fanta, with a very pretty combination of pepper and cinchona. We do enjoy this kind of simplicity. With water: compact, in fact perfect, peppery, on dried fruits and citrus, with amusing notes of blueberry yoghurt. I swear. Finish: long, fairly rich, on tobacco and leather, then motor oil. Granted, one doesn’t sip motor oil every day, but this is Springbank. Comments: I was torn between 89 and 90, as it may not be an outright superstar like some others, but then I thought of the Deutsche Bahn currywurst.
SGP:452 - 90 points.

Here, we could take a little detour via an older bottling…

Springbank 17 yo 1996/2013 (54.2%, Hunter Laing, Old & Rare, Platinum, sherry butt, 270 bottles)

I believe it was around this time that the two Laing brothers, Fred and Stewart, went their separate ways and divided up the business. The latter even declared on this very label that he had ‘approved with confidence’ this bottle, which is wonderfully reassuring. Isn’t it just? Colour: amber. Nose: it does smell like an old sherried OB from that era, with that slightly sulphury edge that characterised quite a few of those bottlings, bringing us almost into Jamaican rum territory, though without the aromatic depth. But as we all know, just a few drops of water can turn things around entirely, so let’s do that... With water: truffle and cabbage soup push their way through, such a classic combo in these official sherried Springbanks from these vintages. Mouth (neat): totally wild, on truffle, quinine, ginger tonic, pepper, black olive tapenade, anchovy, lemon, tar and burnt caramel. With water: nope. Finish: nope. Comments: these sulphury batches were, in my view, the equivalents of the Bowmore ‘FWP’ of the previous decade. A tale of casks and clashes, in my humble opinion.
SGP:462 - 78 points.

Come on, let’s quickly forget the last one…

Springbank 27 yo 1997/2025 (50.3%, Milroy’s Vintage Reserve Black, 1st fill Port barrique, cask #931)

Blimey, another Milroy’s! They’re absolutely on fire at the moment and it’s a joy to see, especially given how much the French adore London. You might think that has nothing to do with whisky, but you’d be wrong – for us, anything happening across the Channel is all part of the same picture... Colour: amber. Nose: balance. That fine balance between walnut cake, dried fruits, figs, dried white mulberries, and on the other side, the maritime notes – salty, chalky, tarry, waxy, phenolic. In short, it’s all very classic. With water: earthy and balsamic. Mouth (neat): rather perfect, back to a racy Springer, very peppery, full of tobacco, lemon zest, earth, more tobacco (indeed, I’ve said it already), and this time even a little chilli. Wouldn’t mind dipping a prawn fritter or two into this... (just kidding). With water: it softens, but the pepper remains firmly in charge. Finish: long, with returning oranges, sour notes, and medicinal touches. Comments: I was thinking 88, then 89, but Christmas is coming.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

That’s the trouble with these “random” sessions, I’m afraid the 30-year-olds from WhiskyLand and Auld Alliance may have slightly killed the game. Let’s be honest, we should’ve saved them for the end of the session, despite their relatively “low” strength. Right then, one last Springbank for 2025…

Springbank 33 yo 1990/2024 (44.5%, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, Singapore, 180 bottles)

No doubt about it, they’re firing on all twelve cylinders in Singapore. Colour: new-world chardonnay. Nose: we’re back to great gentleness, on beeswax, mango liqueur, triple sec, but also blond tobacco, apricot and mirabelle liqueur, and quince tarte tatin glazed with soft honey... It’s really very beautiful, though so far there aren’t huge doses of ‘Springbankness’. Little fun, little funk, no problems. Mouth: firmer, salty, peppery, and simply ‘Springbank’, entirely free from the torments of those sulphury sherry casks of yore (you know, from Sulphur & Co.), so civilised, yet still with a bit of bite. Are you following me? Quinine, white pepper, seawater, clove, bay, lemon, mussels and other shellfish, with just a whisper of chilli... Finish: surprisingly long, with only moderate signs of tiredness. The beautifully coastal and peppery aftertaste brings it back up a notch. Comments: a touch of fragility here and there, but thirty-three years, come on! Seriously, this is a magnificent bottle, one to sip while contemplating the state of the world and the rise of fascism more or less everywhere – including places one never expected. Surely a case of global cognitive decline, encouraged if not outright caused by social media and AI. Of course we're exaggerating, vastly.
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Right, as for our challenge to find a Springbank scoring under 90 points, I regret to inform you that we’ve failed miserably — if we count the fact that we were allowed just one exception, essentially a joker (the HL). Which means, as a result, we’ll be converting this sorry website into zinfandelfun.com as of the first of January. We’ll take the opportunity to make a few functional and aesthetic changes, without renouncing those yellowish tones that are all the rage in D.C.
Well, we’re still thinking it over…

Check the index of all Springbank we've tasted