Springbank 9 Year Local Barley

Fall far enough down the Springbank rabbit hole and you’ll find yourself chasing a seemingly endless selection of casks to try across its three distillates. This variety is one of the things everyone loves about Springbank, especially when the official bottlings are so reasonably priced. But with more than 3,500 combinations listed on Whiskybase, at some point you’ll realize that the chase is an impossible pursuit that will drain you of money and time to try other distilleries. Maybe, like me, you’ll reach this pointwhen you look at your groaning backlog of samples and realize that you have enough Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn matured in various exotic barrels to last you several pandemics. What’s more, you may whisper to yourself (nervously, lest anyone overhear), not all of it is great. It’s rarely bad, but the sheer number of official and independent releases means inconsistency is inevitable. Once you reach this point, the sensible thing to do would be to step back and try to focus on your favorite combinations, or at least rule out those you don’t like. Sherry-cask Springbank is generally a win for me, the wine-matured Longrows are worth a try but rarely a home run and I’ll gladly leave the rum casks for other people. Hazelburn is frequently boring, but I’ll make an exception for the sherry casks. And the Society bottlings are so affordable, that it would be silly not to try them all. So much for a shortlist. I mention this because a recent tasting event provided the opportunity to compare a variety of bottles across not just the Springbank distillates but also its sister distillery Kilkerran. The epic line-up comprised four Springbanks (9-year local barley, 18-year official bottling and two independents aged 24 and 31), a Hazelburn 10 bottled by Cadenhead, a Longrow 15 and two Kilkerrans, the awesome 12 and the latest heavily peated batch. The best was the 24-year-old, a private bottling of a fresh sherry cask at 49%, but this latest version of the Local 9 put in a strong showing and was a fraction better than the previous edition. Pineapple stands out on the aroma and there’s more of it in the mouth, along with cream, lemon and toasty malt. A bit of water brings out its full potential. So I guess I need to add local barely to my list of best Springbank varietals and give up hope of ever getting out of this rabbit hole. See you at the bottom, if there is one.

Peat with a vegetal and fleshy smell at the same time, with a good component of aniseed to spice it, enriched by a massive contribution of ripe yellow fruit (peach, apricot, melon). In the bunch we also put custard, toasted cereal and a sea breeze that caresses the aromas bringing a bit of sparkling freshness. On the length, light balsamic scent. Very rich and stratified. Warm and spicy at the mouth, with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of ginger, it releases smoky and oily peat scents in which the sweetest component is crushed and muted, bringing out dried fruit (hazelnut and plum), licorice and dark chocolate. Over time comes some orange juice shaded on smoked fish. The finish is quite long, spicy, cinnamon, orange. Less complex and bursting than the brother 10yo of 2019, however, presents a nice evolution and is more than willing to drink, confirming this as a really successful series.

Online drammers club pour. Very good, may have liked this more the 18 year. Nose: Apricot, Caramel, Walnuts, Vanilla, Salt, Smoke, Heather, Raisins, Pineapple, Mango, Dried Fruit, Violets, Coal, Citrus, Chocolate, Orange, Eucyptalus Palate: Apricot, Honey, Orange Creamsicle, Heather, Coal, Smoke, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, pineapple, mint Finish: orange creamsicle, honey, apricot, sultanas, flowers, citrus, cherries, vanilla, peach

Big start, smooth finish