Springbank Society 8 Year Fresh Sherry Hoghsheads January 2021

Nose - flinty peat, plum, fig, apricot, chocolate malt, honey, nutmeg, molasses, powdered sugar, sweet floral notes, candied orange, mint, hay, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - oily peat, chocolate malt, hay, ginger, lemon, charred orange, cardamom, black cherry, apricot, nutmeg, toasted oak, spiced apple, honey, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with sherried fruit, oily peat, chocolate, and baking spice flavors. I’m wrapping up my review series with this 8 Year Springbank Society release aged in fresh sherry hogsheads and bottled at a robust 57.3%. The nose is fantastic. I’d call this a sherry bomb. The funky Springbank quality is present, but it’s complemented beautifully by malted chocolate, dark stone fruits, and strong baking spices. The palate comes in hot with rich dark fruits, overripe zesty citrus, more chocolate, and barnyard peat. The mouthful is thick and the finish is decadent. A few of us were recently discussing our favorite cold weather drinks. This would have to be a contender. It’s about as close to Christmas in a bottle as Springbank can be. It’s delicious, and I’d love to own one. A huge thank you to @Richard-ModernDrinking for providing the generous sample. This one is outstanding.

The nose greets you with a rich chocolate and barnyard funk mix followed by buttered cinnamon raisin toast then fruits of sun baked salted orange, baked apple, and charred lemon that transitions to a cavern minerality, light ginger, and light oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a syrupy rich mouthfeel starting with a moderate spice before rich chocolate with toasted nuts and barnyard funk mix followed by cinnamon raisin cookies then fruits of sun baked salted orange, baked apple, and charred lemon that transitions to a cavern minerality, light ginger, and mild oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate covered raisins, charred orange peel, lemon drop candy, fresh cut hay, and light oak. The nose is fantastic on this that makes me feel like Russell Crowe in Gladiator walking through fields of wheat while eating a rich chocolate bar then some slightly funky fruits, minerality and light oak that carries over to the taste with a mild spice and addition of toasted nuts that finishes with dark chocolate, citrus and mellow barnyard funk. The cask strength on this one really brings those Springbank notes in with big bold flavors but the youth with a moderate spice on the taste are my main faults with it. This was an incredible treat that @Richard-ModernDrinking was kind enough to share and a great start to my Springbank series.

Yeah baby. Springbank. Probably the only distillery that I’ve always consistently ranked 4+ stars. They can do no wrong. Yeah…they’re pricey, but they put in the effort and worth every penny, in my opinion at least. Unlike those blokes at Ardbeg who put out a special limited edition that’s half as good as their core, but 3x more expensive. Tonight’s pour was sample #4 in an online tasting between @Richard-ModernDrinking , @pkingmartin , @ctbeck11 and me. Well, for me it was sample #3, since my lame ass wasn’t able to keep up. This was courtesy of my buddy @Richard-ModernDrinking . I’m three samples in, past my bedtime…so all I’ll write is “this is damn good…nutty caramel, gritty, funky…classic Springbank.” It’s Springbank. It can do no wrong. It can “shoot someone in the middle of 5th Ave” in NYC, and it’ll still be my favorite distillery. Thanks @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous pour!

Great balance between freshness and Christmas flavors. Nose: Figs, Oranges, Spearmint, Sultanas, Dates, Sour Cherries Palate: Raisins, Figs, Oranges, Dates, Dark Chocolate, Mulled Wine, Gingerbread, Christmas Cakes Finish: Raisins, Oranges, Salted Caramel, Figs, Grapefruits, Mangoes, Prunes