Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength

Perhaps I'm cheating but I've chosen to review a 2015 release, old black box. I have a newer release at 57+% vs this one at 53.8, but I must say this one simply blows the newer bottlings away. The first thing you'll note on these older bottles is how dark the whisky is. There's a good amount of sherry finishing here. Very slow forming legs, incredible viscous look. The nose is BBQ sauce, old aged sherry, bright sparky alcohol, light fruits in the alcohol, dark fruits at the finish, sugar cookie sweetness, and perhaps a white bread toast like note. The flavor is that sugar cookie base, a touch of medicinal or aspartame sweetness, BBQ, some kind of savor bready something, really old sherry with younger oak notes. I even get the start of what could have been a port note until it swings back into the sherry realm. The finish is more of a pallet overload of abv, spice, sherry, and oak. Here is where you can tell you're drinking high proof only 12 year old scotch vs the more refined and older whisky. At about 110 bucks this was a really lucky find and I only wish I could have afforded to buy all their bottles. No, this isn't a top shelf high end scotch, but these so much wonderful flavor here. The low proof and the higher sherry content really makes this one shine. For me a 3 is an outstanding whisky that if it is in your budget you need to have. I save the 4's and 5's for truly special bottles. This is great stuff but it's still a 12 year old scotch. FYI the newer bottling would be either a 2.75 or 3. Likely would do 2.75 and say it's maybe not a must try if you have any reservation.

Semi peated and smoky sweet. With notes of cherries and other more bitter sweet berries. Finish is long, sweet, smoky and slightly biting, but definitely not terrible for a cask strength whisky. The 18 year is what got me started with Scotch. This brings back all those memories and is very much a better experience with a bit more refined palate.

Karaktervolle single malt. Enigzins combinatie zoet en zuur met een hint van kastanje. Smaakvolle en subtiele afdronk. Lichte honing nasmaak.