Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength

On the first whiff there is an intense vanilla aroma reminding me of soft creamy vanilla cotton-candy/or rich icecream. This dominates the nose for quite a while with some light earthy peatiness, none of the vegetal, almost seaweed like nose of the Islay malts. Then after letting it breathe, some light strawberry/raspberry scent sneaks around the vanilla, the dehidrated kind. Kinda what i would expect from a cask strenght bourbon/sherry aged whisky. The palate is much more heavy with the peat but there are also hinta of the berries i mentioned in the nose and more of the vanilla, maltiness and some pleasent bitter barrel influence

I think this is the 2018/2019 edition. It’s 54.8% abv (and based on what I’ve read it’s 50/50 burbon/sherry cask mix). Nose: Surprisingly fresh! I certainly pick up sherry notes, but also grapes, apples and pears. It also has a dry chalk-like/limestone character to it which is really nice. The peat is certainly there but not cloying. Palate: Lighter than expected. Decently refined with fruity notes (red and green apples mainly) and a slightly malty character. Sooty peat - rather light. Signature Springbank ”funk” (think rubber hose and synthetic oil…) though less than in other Springbanks I’ve tried. After a while just a tad of darker fruits. Finish: More of that chalk-like character from the nose. Green apples. Touch of sweet broth. Sooty peat. Just a tad of rubber. Overall: On the one hand it’s well-crafted and offers decent complexity. On the other hand it’s not the sledge-hammer you expect from a Springbank at CS, and in that regard it feels a bit underwhelming. Also, the more Springbanks I try the more I realize that I am not that exciting over those funky notes as some are. That said I actually appreciate the overall style of this whisky (lightly peated, burbon/sherry mix). Overall I score it 3.75 on the back of it being well-crafted and aligned with many of my preferences, and it’s not far away from a higher mark. That said I did swing back and forth with this one and at some points I wanted to score it lower (tried it heads-up against Lagavulin 16 and it suddenly tasted like the sweet-like odour of burning/melting plastic…), but sometimes also higher. It does balance on a thread…

- Nose // smoke, hay/grass (still trying to distinguish between these), vanilla, oak, maybe some apple - Palate // caramel, some smoke (much more on the nose than tongue), some heat, spice, vanilla, melon? not sure but something fruity, is it weird to say buttery?, chocolate almost wants to make it’s way in there - will revisit with some drops of water to open up and see if it comes out more - Finish // sweet spice, nuttiness, Legs for days. Spice and nuttiness that lingers. I really enjoy this pour!

The one tasted is Batch 18 - 50% bourbon, 50% sherry, 54.8% alcohol. I haven't tasted a thousand whiskys, but this is by far the richest taste I've had in one. The color is almost gold, pale yellow with a touch of amber. The nose is sweet and fruity (candied fruits, berries, grapes, even some yellow fruits) which seems to be a combination of the bourbon and sherry, along with a touch of peat. The mouthfeel has the alcohol warmth but not as intense as I was anticipating of that cask strength. It's sweet enough to keep a couple seconds. Once swallowed, the taste starts slowly, on the alcohol first and then it evolves for a long time. You get a first taste that just makes me think "leather", I don't recognize this taste, I'm too new to the scotch universe. Then it turns sweet, that's the most unexpected moment of the whole tasting. You get something of a dessert wine, vanilla and grape, the casks again I guess (this lasts in the aftertaste for at least 10 seconds), then it gets gradually to the fruity side, grapes, pears... never had an aftertaste that evolves so much and that lasts for so long. That's my first Campbeltown scotch and I am pleased of this choice!

Light golden in color, medium sparse legs. Light peat, brine, grilled white fish, apricot, ash with a light honey and oak note in the background. Bright and dancing malt, fruit and peat all three with medium viscosity. There is more honey, allspice, and apricot than the nose would suggest. Then a tug of war between peat, smoke and earthy notes on a medium finish. The nose takes on a leathery and metallic set of aromas as time goes on. More brine comes across the plate and more powerfully sweet honey, pineapple and orange rind. Overall the complexity of this dram is quite enjoyable. Less ash than Lagavulin and no bandaids to make me think Laphroaig. More peat than Highland Park and no pronounced sherry as I would expect with Talisker. The punch of heat and prickle on the tongue remind me 100-110 proof. Maybe Springbank is my new favorite Scottish distillery... that said I might just be a sucker for the higher proof that I’m so accustomed to thanks to bourbon. I have no choice but to dip into cask strength HP, Glenfarclas 105 or the likes of Talisker 57N. Thanks to @ContemplativeFox fox for giving me an opportunity to explore several of these samples! I might need to rid myself of bourbon to make more room for scotch when this is all over 😬