SPRINGBANK 21 YEAR 2020 EDITION

Very conflicted, and how you rate this whisky will depend on why you purchased it to begin with. This is quite possibly the epitomy of what a complex and richly sherried whisky can deliver: stewed and jammy dark fruits, nuttiness, leather, dark chocolate, and a finish that delivers these notes for days. If, however, you purchase this because you love Springbank, you may be dissappointed. The malt and distillery character is very muted given the strong (amazing, but maybe overwhelming) cask influence. Overall, great experience, but it depends what you’re looking for in a $500 bottle.

One marvelous dram. This has everything you want in a whisky. Aged in a combination of 30% bourbon casks, 30% rum casks, 25% sherry casks, and 15% port casks. An extraordinarily dark color that one can easily mistake this for a whisky fully matured in first fill sherry casks on appearance alone. The fact that just a quarter of the casks used were sherry casks and 40% of them were sherry and port casks combined shows super active sherry and port casks were used in the vatting. Nose: Dark Chocolate, Toffee, Raspberries, Sour Cherries, Burnt Oranges, Guava, Sea Salt, Prunes, Dates, Bananas, Coconut, Shortbread Cookies, Blue Cheese, Peaches, Passion Fruit, Pineapples, Figs, Flowers Palate: Milk Chocolate, Toffee, Dates, Pepper, Oak, Licorice, Orange Peels, Cherries, Prunes, Smoke, Sea Salt, Mackerels, Caramel, Butterscotch, Coffee Finish: Milk Chocolate, Cherries, Oranges, Blackberries, Peaches, Pepper, Dates, Figs, Raspberries, Lavender, Coffee

Oh yeah, review 300 and I get to provide the first review on distillers of Springbank 21 year, 2020 edition. This year's edition is sourced from 30% bourbon casks, 30% rum casks, 25% sherry casks and 15% port casks. And it is the DARKEST freaking 21 year they've put out at least back to 2013 as those are the only ones I've seen. This is 2 or 3 shades darker than the 2019 which was 45% Port casks and 55% Rum cask. Could this be WET sherry and port casks? Nose - I get raspberries, dunnage warehouse, hint of strawberry, salt, brine, peat, light oak wood smoke, some kind of plumb pie, and old oak nearing shoe leather. Taste - The first thing you realize is this is abrasive full volume springbank. This bad boy isn't refined straight from the bottle. There's peat and smoke and sea salt, and intense oak everywhere. You can tell this spent decades in highly active casks and from there you can get this dirty rum, rich vanilla from bourbon, dark fruits from the sherry, and that dank dark basement from the port. The mix isn't optimal and perhaps time open will round out some rough edges, but I'm not sure I care or want that. The finish is LONG, full, mouth watering, and fully mouth coating. Water isn't this dram's best friend. At first it teases out some more salt and peat but then as it settles it brings out a bit more sweet. Not really enhancing anything and lightly fading away some of the more exciting depth. That said water isn't really a problem either, they're co workers who don't see each other outside of the office but let the water settle for a bit, at first I think they're a bit standoffish. I got this for 215 + shipping, but that deal likely isn't repeatable. I expect 350-450 USD as the retail. An easy buy for me up to 450 on a second bottle. I do like the 2019 more, but I'm freaking in love with this edition too. I swear there's more port and sherry than the online details are stating or these were the most dark and intense port and sherry casks ever found. I'm absolutely in love guys. This is whisky done right. Same score as the 2019 at a 4.25. The 46% along with the slight lack of refinement here is holding this one back from the truly exceptional scores, but I won't lie I'm gonna debate upping the 2019 and 2020 to 4.5's. This is springbank for savory fans, not those looking for more refined and sweeter offerings they sometimes do at these 21 year old age statements.