ctbeck11
Springbank 10 Year
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed
January 19, 2021 (edited June 17, 2021)
Nose - overripe orange, apple, pear, strawberry, lemon, banana, pineapple, kiwi, vanilla cream, brine, shipyard sea spray, oily peat, iodine, hay, powdered sugar, fusty detritus, pencil eraser, floral notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, cereal grain, black pepper, toasted coconut, honey, tobacco, potato starch, white wine, moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - decaying orange zest, pineapple, strawberry, peach, lemon, powdered sugar, hay, coconut, dank peat, brine, diesel, black pepper, ginger, chili pepper, floral notes, sweet tea, leather, tobacco, slightly tannic oak, iodine, cereal grain, cinnamon, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with overripe fruit, hay, tingly pepper, dank oily peat, and tannic oak flavors.
Oh man. The nose on this one is next level. There is so much happening here. Right when I think I’ve captured it, more aromas make an appearance before elegantly transforming into something completely different. This is like a half-rotten fruit basket that’s been sitting in the sun on a marina dock all day. It’s sweet, oily, salty, spicy, sour, and bitter all at once. An olfactory masterpiece.
The taste is really good, but it’s not playing in the same league as the nose. Many of the aromas transfer to the palate, but the youthfulness makes its appearance here. It’s not at all off-putting, but present enough to hold this back from being truly outstanding.
I waited eight months between opening and doing an official tasting of this one, since I’ve heard many say it improves with oxidation. I can vouch for this as well. It’s notably changed each time I’ve poured a dram. This is a delicious entry level expression from an amazing distillery. Unfortunately, prices have been rising and I’ve seen this pushing $100 recently. It’s not $100 good, but if you can find this under $70, it’s definitely worth a buy.
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@cascode It’ll be a sad day if Springbank decides to jump on the modernization bandwagon. Until then, I’ll happily pay a little extra for the quality they deliver.
Springbank 10 changes minutely with every batch but it circles around a central profile that is unchanging. It was a little rough when they came out of mothballs after the 80s but by and large it is consistent. I recently reviewed the John Walker Celebratory Blend which is supposed to be a recreation of 1860s whisky, but if you want to taste genuine old-school then this is the stuff.
@ctbeck11 Good find! I actually looked on the website too, but couldn't find that info.
@soonershrink That’s a total steal! According to their website, the labels changed with the 2017 bottling year. They indicate the contents were not altered, but I can’t confirm that.
Today I found a few dusty bottles with the old black label priced at 52$. Only bought one, but was tempted to buy all 3 left on the shelf. I assume the whisky inside is the same. Any idea when the label was changed?
@ctbeck11 I fully agree on the Kilkerran. After the Springbank it is a must.
@ctbeck11 tarrifs aren't helping in the states.
@Ctrexman I haven’t tried any Kilkerran offerings yet, but have heard lots of good things. The Springbank 15 is delicious. @dhsilv2 That’s some high praise, even more so coming from you. I appreciate that Springbank hasn’t skyrocketed their prices. Unfortunately, the secondary is beginning to take hold.
I'm honestly still of the opinion even at 90 this is still the best whisky on the market, minus a couple bourbons (ECBP if you can find it). It just gets better and better to me the more I drink higher and higher end whiskies. It just works.
Close to 100 yikes..... Im thinking maybe some Kilkerran next before the 15