The mandatory monthly Springbank a quartet


November 10, 2026

The mandatory monthly Springbank (a quartet)

There, we’ve chosen our Springbanks for November. No new OBs around I’m afraid, but what follows should keep us more than happy… Hang on, unless we count this little private cask as an OB. It is one, after all, isn’t it? …

Springbank 23 yo (41.7%, Private Cask for 25th Anniversary Whisky Market Cologne, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #649, 288 bottles, 2026)

Colour: Americano. Nose: that slightly sulphury side we used to find in quite a few ex-sherry Springbanks, very much in check here, then roasted chestnuts, dark chocolate and the very same Americano suggested by the colour. That’s rather amusing. And cured meats, bresaola, Bündnerfleisch, biltong… Mouth: the nose carries straight through to the palate. Very dry, with coffee, cured meats, truffle, an earthy, salty, minty side and that same little idiosyncratic touch of sulphur. Finish: fairly short, with plenty of tobacco and black tea without sugar. Comments: I’m very fond of this style, even if it’s perhaps a little shy of top-flight Springbank.
SGP:361 - 87 points.

Springbank 30 yo 1992/2022 (46.1%, Single Malt Vault, Private Owners Cask, ex-bourbon, cask #314, 75 bottles)

Many of these vintage bottlings turn out to come from great vintages. Well, I know what I mean. Colour: light gold. Nose: the beauty of ex-bourbon Springbank of this age and from these vintages. Custard and olive oil, in other words, with beeswax, a mechanical touch of engine grease and light, elegant coastal notes. It’s all very tightly knit, actually. Mouth: in come the citrus fruits, mandarins and grapefruit, then orchard fruits, apples and pears, and finally shellfish and seaweed. We needn’t go on at length. It’s pretty much perfect and still very tightly knit. Finish: little touches of camphor, medicine and minerals, all very ‘Springbank’. Pepper and salt in the aftertaste. Comments: a short tasting note will do, so neatly does this baby hold together. We love it.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Springbank 31 yo 1991/2022 (48.3%, Limited Whisky, Connoisseur Collection, refill bourbon, 166 bottles)

In theory, this baby ought to be much of the same barrel, if you’ll pardon this expression carried over from French. Colour: gold. Nose: more on vegetable oils, sunflower in particular, with sesame butter, beeswax and mild honey, nougat and menthol tobacco. Then the very ripe apples turn up, with purpose and determination (eh?). Mouth: more rustic and earthy, with plenty of bone-dry cider, a little ginger, some mead, then a trio of pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. The earth and spices really come through. Finish: fairly long, on pepper and lemon zest, with a little oiled cardboard and ash in the aftertaste, vaguely reminiscent of Glenturret in some respects. Comments: excellent, though much less classic than the 1992.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Springbank 1965/1992 (52.8%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #27.21)

Still a twistcap! And a vintage that needs no introduction… Colour: full gold. Nose: tasting in progress, please do not disturb. Only joking. This little beauty certainly delivers, with sublime dried figs, equally sublime dried dates, marzipan (dates stuffed with marzipan are pretty sublime too), then a caffè latte that’s worth every extra-penny and a damson tart dusted with ground cinnamon, as it should be. These old Springbanks from the 1960s are less coastal, less salty and less mineral than the later vintages, and utterly legendary all the same. With water: an explosion of wax and furniture polish. Mouth (neat): beyond sublime. Take everything we’ve just listed and add lime juice and lemon juice. At this age it can still send delicious little electric shocks down your spine! Magnificent. With water: very little change. This is the finest citrus juice ever to cross a human being’s path. Finish: long, perhaps fresher and more lemony than most other 1965s or 1966s, including the Local Barleys. Comments: the maddest thing is that there’s something almost modest about it, almost understated.
SGP:552 - 93 points.

We’ll have several other old SMWS Springbanks in our December instalment, so stay tuned. We’re also planning to put some old Springbanks up against some old Clynelishes, head-to-head. We’ll see if that works out…

(Thank you, Angus, Bora & Gemma)

Check the index of all Springbank we've tasted