Springbank 16 Year Local Barley

2oz pour at The Whiskey House in San Diego Only Springbank can make garbage delicious. I get this note like your neighbor fucks abandoned cheap furniture by the trash compactor and it’s been raining all week. There’s that dank musty rotting composite leather balanced beautifully with barley and charcoal. This quite reminds me of Bruichladdich Islay barley in that the beautiful malt is really highlighted. It’s got a powerful brown sugar sweetness with yellow-orange fruits like lemons and peaches and mangoes. The Springbank rot somehow adds balance and beauty. I don’t understand it! This just reaches levels of complexity that Bruichladdich can’t match. It’s a shame I can’t get a bottle. I’ve had this at bars twice and I’m sure I can’t discover everything this whisky has to offer even if I had my own bottle. I would literally drop a few hundred for this. MARK: 95/100

Grainy aroma, but I'm sitting by a ripe grain field. A bit fruity (pear, apricot?) taste and very peppery afterwards. Got it on Hven. (edit: Read Pinks description, so now i feel bittersweet Seville Oranges and some ash)

Nose: Loads of citrus. Predominantly tangerines and orange peels. Beeswax. Bee pollen. Subtle ash. Earthy honey. Palette: Bright citrus. Tangerines and mandarins. Heather honey. Some barley sugar. Beeswax and bee pollen. Wood and oak spice. Tingling and sweet mouthfeel. Subtle ash and smoke. Freshly wet earth. Vegetal funk. Finish: Complex and rewarding. Medium length and viscosity. Contemplating and truly unique dram. Adding water doesn’t change much. Worth every penny. 93/100

This was my second drink I had at a friend's last night---and oh my, was it memorable. I actually didn't know the background of this when I had it, except it was a 16 yr old Springbank. This morning, after a bit of googling, I found out that it's made from "prisma" barley, which apparently was discountined being used in the late 60s because it was so difficult to grow and distill. These bottles are now apparently all sold out, or available at outrageous prices in the secondary market. Nose: light peat, charcoals, sweet. Palette is where it kicks in: grilled lemon, cream, pears, and more charcoal. Lingering sweet finish. It's apparently not a profile available in the modern Springbank. If I had known the background of this before pouring myself a dram, I'd have skipped the Balvenie 12 that I had before this, and opted for more of this one.