Springbank 12 Year Burgundy Wood

I was sent a sample of this insane, Lowland whisky from my friend Jason. This was a limited release back in 2016 that consisted of Springbank 12 year old that was aged for its entire term in Spanish, burgundy wine casks. I had initially decided I would compare this one to the Tullibardine 228- which was also finished in burgundy wine barrels. But, the two are so far apart in flavor and complexity I felt it wasn’t a fair comparo. This Springbank is a near cask strength bottle coming in at a robust, brandy-like 53.5% ABV. It’s a crystal clear, pink rose colored dram that makes long, skinny legs in the Glencairn. The nose has to be one of the funkiest smelling malts I’ve ever experienced. The hay and barnyard funkiness is almost all red wine/balsamic vinegar. I seem to recall a similar smell from a bottle of saba that a chef friend of mine once gave me. He said Saba is basically grape must (the skins, stems and seeds of fresh pressed grapes) that has been reduced to a sweet syrup and used in a lot of Italian sauces as the sweetening agent. It’s very weird and distinct. There’s a little bit of oak and heat from the high ABV, but it’s mostly funk. The palate is also super fruity: strawberries, grapes and melon with a big time kick from the ABV. The oak and some florals are there, but you really have to work this around the tongue and withstand the heat to even detect the slightest hints. That’s the Springbank character, for sure, but it’s really fighting the burgundy funk just to be heard towards the end. The finish just resonates everything from the nose: funky, funky with wet hay and grapes that just lingers on well past the finish. Even past the palate cleanser, water, vanilla wafer, saltine...you get the idea. This thing lasts longer than even some of the smokiest Islay whiskies over ever tasted. That’s astonishing. Overall, well....I don’t really know how to rate this thing. It’s an amazing testament to wine cask whisky. It’s also a bold experiment by Springbank- they literally sacrificed their brand flavor profile here. If I had tasted this blind there’s no way in hell I would’ve guessed it was theirs. The only problem I see here is that this is so close to being a brandy, IMO, that I almost lost sight of the fact it’s a scotch. That’s where I think your average whisky drinker will get lost. I know, I know- I could’ve added some water and brought this down but I’m one of THOSE snobs that thinks the whisky should be drank the way the distillery intended it- as bottled. If I had a full bottle I may have done that later on to try to open it up, but I wanted this one “as is” and that may have been too much. Thanks to @Telex for this awesome pour. It’s flavor is intense, I just think it misses the mark a little as a whisky (and even as a Springbank). It’s 4.5 stars on its own, but I gotta downgrade it a bit for being too, too much (if that makes sense). 4-4.25 stars.

The nose on this scotch reminds me more of the vineyard itself rather than the winery, if that makes any sense. The scents are earthy and suggestive of hard work out in the fields: fresh sapling wood, leather, dark soil, farm funk, and some permanent marker. I did not experience much sweetness on the nose. This felt like a slight twist on that dry, chalky distillery character. The palate is dry and slightly astringent, with a big dose of medicinal minerality again, bittersweet apple skins, mint, and herbs. On the swallow, more of the same: brine, spearmint, and dry minerality. It seems as if that distillery character or signature powered through the cask selection, or even gained strength like a hurricane over warm water, drawing the earthy and dry notes from Burgundy wine rather than the sweeter, fruitier notes. One final curiosity is that I haven't seen any discussion out there about whether the casks used were red or white wine, or a mix of both. Given that this is not a single-barrel release but in fact was several thousand bottles, the distillery easily could have done a mix of a few different types of casks (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc.). My personal guess would be that there's more white than red in here, or that the reds were quite dry, because there is not a huge amount of fruit in this release. That being said, the dark color suggests that a decent proportion must be aged in red wine casks. Thanks to Telex for the sample!

Ha haaa! The theme of this dram is the Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces". Dat nose is funky, but gooood. Vanilla, cake batter, rich red, red wine (maybe this should be an UB40 song?) and woody elements. The palate - oh man, this is a "daddy size" piece of New York cheesecake with extra strawberry syrup. The finish is long, and dare I use the cliche "smooooth". Only a few drops of water with this guy. It may be hard to track down at this point, but WELL worth the effort.

Whisky & Alement Melbourne October 2017. A fine dram.

I've enjoyed red wine finished Scotch so far with Glenmorangie's Companta and The Arran's Amarone. I thoroughly enjoyed this as well. Full bodied and juicy.