Springbank 25

향 레진 왁스 허니 맛 몰트의 단맛

This is the 2022 edition, sorry just too lazy to add a new whisky here. 40% bourbon 60% sherry. Nose - Deep aged oak with stewed fruits, slightly turning sour, with salted sea breeze, and rich sugar cookies. This is a bit of a waxy odd fruit bomb of notes I'm not that well versed on. Things like apricots which while I do get that one, I'm not as familiar with. There's this very organic and earthy fruit element here that's really doing wonders and giving off some really classic springbank funk tones. Taste - The nose comes through to the taste well with a soft and yet richly complex array of funk, earth, salt, light peat, touches of smoke, and sweet light elements. Even some touches of steak sauce hint their way out, though dominate is light fruity and genitally sugared notes. Finish - forget the taste, here's where the whisky turns epic. Spices start building up and coming in full force now. Cinnamon, cloves, pineapple, citrus tangerines, oak spice, and some kind of green herbal fruity elements. Just big, bold, and complex. Happy days are dancing on my tongue right now. A wonderfully constructed whisky from start to finish. An amazing nose leading to a good all be it subtle pallet, to only explode as the finish begins. This springbank 25 doesn't disappoint all be it the price leaves one reaching for their wallets in sheer agony. Overall, likely 2 steps behind the 2021 and a half step off the 2016 from the best of the ones I've had. Still this is outstanding. Neck pour score 4.5

Nice touch of tropical fruits, salinity, and sherry influence, prefer Springbank 21 old and new though. Year edition unknown. Nose: Raisins, Toasted Honey, Caramel, Coconuts, Pineapples, Figs, Prunes, Watermelon, Bubblegum Palate: Vanilla, Smoke, Raisins, Coal, Almonds, Dark Chocolate, Dates, Prunes, Figs, Mangoes, Pineapples, Hazlenuts Finish: Raisins, Salted Caramel, Cod, Figs, Luxardo Cherries, Sultanas

2019 edition Nose- brown sugar; rhubarb; thyme; pine needles; touch of peat; dark chocolate; honey; Palate- funky rum notes initially; cocoa powder; pineapple juice; herbal sweetness; toasted oak; hint of earthy peat smoke; sherry sweetness Finish- medium, viscous finish; earthy peat; brown sugar/molasses; touch of tropical fruits Good, not great. The rum cask influence on this 25 year old springbank is a bit overpowering, to the point that it makes it a bit too simple and young tasting. The sherry comes through a bit, and the balance between the rum cask and sherry is quite nice, but i’m missing that cambeltown funk mixed with heavy peat that i’m accustomed to with springbank. Not my favorite release from them

So I just spent 40 minutes trying to add Glengoyne 30 year to the site with zero luck....even using their horrible ap. So that review is pending if I can get it added. So why not review 2018 edition of springbank 25? Also...really each year should have a different review. So I'll be honest, I've read that this has vatting with port after bourbon and sherry maturation and I'm reading one place saying this is exclusive ex sherry. The color doesn't scream sherry. So I'm honestly not sure. But it seems I'm seeing more notes that this is 100% ex sherry so I'll assume that's right. Nose - There's a rich oak note to this one, you can tell this spent time in casks and it has imparted a lot of serious oak notes. It however isn't like a bourbon or even some other older scotches, the oak has almost been taken over by springbank funk and the two are playing in a unique sharp and salty way. There are red fruits but without being told sherry, I wouldn't sure of the finishing. This is an assertive, aggressive, and bitter nose. Taste - As one would expect this is a challenging dram and despite a few months open I'm still not to the shoulder on the bottle. Umami, sweet, salty, and fruity notes are all here. A complex and vanilla infused sherry and oak finish. It does have a finish of those "sugar" cookies that Keith, Malted Man Cave always gets. Water actually does tame some of the oak and brings in more sweet vanillas but also brings a touch more sea salt (which isn't bad). These are some very tired and very very used sherry casks and frankly sometimes if you use such casks you better not chill filter and you sure as heck better age it a while. That said the salty and unami springbank malt is working to make this a really challenging dram with the sherry, light as the notes are, somewhat bringing it back towards balance without getting there. This is 100% going to be a highly polarizing and likely disliked springbank 25 for a great many people. I'm rather enjoying this myself and will go with a 4.0, at 800 bucks that's not really acceptable, but the level of complexity all be it, lacking in depth, and the challenges of this one do lead me to appreciate that this was not a cheap to make whisky. Those seeking candy and sweet drams need stay the hell away, look for a port finished version of their 25. This one is for whisky geeks who want something off the beaten path. Given the price, all but the most extreme of springbank fans should avoid.

I love the 15 year which at $85 USD here in NZ I think is the best VFM springbank. The 18 year at $120 is the runner up. The 21 year is bonkers though at more than $200USD. So when I saw a sample of the discontinued 25 year for $30 I thought yeah I'll have a crack. So was it worth it? A yes.... for the experience. It's a great drop, not much port coming through, definite orange peel, tobacco and pepper as the MoM reviewed, lovely on the mid palate but aftertaste is short. I personally prefer the more in your face rougher 15 year especially for the price. It's interesting that often with my favorite distilleries and the peated stuff e.g. Laphroaig, Talisker, Caol Ila, Ardbeg and now Springbank I find the oldest stuff good but not better than the middle aged brethren. It's almost like a bell curve for me when it comes to preference with 15 to 18 years or a blend of older and younger being the sweet spot especially once VFM is factored in. Still the longer I linger on this one I think it'd be nice to work through a bottle but no way I'd pay the price! It is as the previous review mentioned missing the Springbank 'funk' I like.