WF’s Little Duos, today Springbank OB


March 31, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today Springbank OB

I know, you're going to say we've only just finished tasting a dozen superb Springbanks. It's true, so think of today's little session as a mini-sequel. And for once, we won't be (too) late...

Floor malting (Springbank)

Springbank 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘Local Barley’ (58.1%, OB, 13,500 bottles, 2025)

This baby was bottled last December and released in 2025. The barley, of course floor-malted at Springbank, came from High Ranachan farm, just down the road from the Wee Toon. One could hardly get more local than this. Colour: gold. Nose: oh lovely! At once a little ‘dirtier’ and more lemony than the 10 year old many of us adore, quite marked by paraffin, boot polish, pot ale… one could almost describe it as ‘a trifle feinty’ with a slightly soapy edge. But Springbank may well be the only malt that’s actually enhanced by these tiny soapy notes, if you see what I mean. Also fresh almonds and walnuts galore. With water: paint and ‘a Saturday morning at Ikea’. Or perhaps ‘a fresh parcel from Temu’. Mouth (neat): an outburst of pink and green peppercorns, plus an avalanche of citrus. The usual greasy and coastal elements are very much present too. With water: fewer developments this time, and one gets the impression that youth might be a slight drawback here. Finish: same feeling, perhaps a tad too rustic at this stage. Ginger ale, porridge, ink, pepper. Comments: just spotted it’s bere barley.
SGP:562 - 86 points.

Springbank 26 yo 1998/2024 (53.4%, OB, for Lateltin 125th Anniversary, Switzerland, fresh bourbon barrel, 156 bottles)

A wee gem uncovered at Whiskyschiff Luzern 2025. Enough to drive quite a few Springbank collectors mad, especially the completists (if any still remain). Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s frankly annoying how these well-aged Springbanks are always bang on target, perched right atop the podium. Pink grapefruit, brake dust, candle wax, turpentine, Tiger Balm, fresh sourdough, seaweed, wet chalk, facial cream, sand and pebbles on the beach… Etc. With water: barley and pistachio syrups, fruit salad, agave syrup, and the faintest touch of tarry smokiness. Mouth (neat): exceptional cask contribution when it comes to texture, with fir honey, mangoes, peaches and passion fruit, grapefruit of course, beeswax, tiny banana, a smidgen of olive oil, a splash of seawater, and a few stones… All of this is frankly very aggravating. With water: it gets even worse with the arrival of papayas and mirabelles, plus even more minerality. What sort of sorcery is this? Finish: rosehip tea, manuka honey, salted butter caramel, and just the right amount of pu-ehr tea and whelks (and clams). Comments: one of the most, if not the most, fruit-laden recent Springbanks distilled in the 1990s. They’ve all brought us utter joy so far and this one is no exception.
SGP:652 - 93 points.

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

March 2024

Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Springbank 29 yo 1994/2024 (50.1%, North Star Spirit, Obscurities & Curiosities, refill hogshead) - WF 94

Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Macallan 1957 (80°proof, OB, Campbell, Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, sherry wood, +/-1972) - WF 95

Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Springbank 10 yo (46%, OB, +/-2024) - WF 91

Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Fradon ‘Lot 70’ (46.4%, Through the Grapevine for Navigate World Whisky South Africa, Petite Champagne, 99 bottles) - WF 92

Serge's thumbs up this month:
Kimchangsoo ‘Gimpo - The First Edition 2024’ (50.1%, OB, South Korea) - WF 90

Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Teeling 15 yo (50%, OB, Irish single grain, 2023) - WF 65