Rating: 17/23 I loved this last time I tried it, but I have a vague recollection that my palate was off that day. I'm worried that this is going to taste younger and brasher than I remembered. N: Peat with a lesser amount of smoke and then some farmyard bringing in some vegetal a nice, big meaty character like roast pork. Salty with maybe a touch of brine. I'm not getting big subtleties here, but so far I'm enjoying the nose. A hint of nuttiness like peanuts or maybe peanut shells. There is a bit of toasty grain and maltiness that toes the line of being too sweet. A bit of alcohol does come through, unfortunately, but it's not a big problem. P: A peaty blast covers up a lot of that Springbank funkiness, though there definitely is a layer of farmyard throughout. The peat and youthful alcohol have a bite that makes the profile seem unbalanced. It's also sweeter than the nose suggested, though the malt fortunately falls a bit into peanut brittle territory instead of into artificial caramel. A little roast pork. Salt and brine with some iodine. Cinnamon with a little rich woody sweetness and vanilla. Some waxy tartness at times. The iodine mixed with some minerality takes me into what I think of as dungeness crab territory if the iodine is too strong, but thankfully it just touches the edge of that region. A little sulphur, but not too much. This really seems too uncomplex and unbalanced. In that way, it reminds me a lot of Westland Peated. I think I might have actually reviewed the two of them on the same day and both disappointed me upon revisiting. Maybe my palate was tired so I needed the brash flavors that day. That all said, this is uncomplex by Springbank standards, but it's complex by most others. That said, digging deeply into this on a tired palate, a lot of interesting character comes out. It's sort of like how I like Highland Park 12 if I've numbed my tongue enough that its sulphur doesn't offend me. There is a time and place for this, and that is the end of the evening in a big, comfy chair. F: Sweet with lingering ham, smoke, peat, sea shells, watery caramel, faint farmyard and dry grass. - Conclusion - What a huge let-down! This is still far from a bad scotch and the price isn't too bad, but this is nowhere near the 21 I gave it previously. that said, on a tired palate, this is great. It punches through enough to let the flavors show themselves and the rough edges are mellowed out. I can see how I misrated this so badly before. With a tired palate, this is hedonism in a glass. I'm looking forward to leaving this open on my shelf for a while to see if the air can mellow it out. None of the flavors are wrong here: they're just brash and monotone. Hopefully some air will add complexity and smooth out their edges. I'd take this over Highland Park 12 (12), but not over something like Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2008 (17). On a tired palate, I'd take this over Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010 (16), but I wouldn't on a fresh palate. I think on a tired palate this comes in at around a 17 or maybe even an 18, but on a fresh one it's more like a 14 or 15. I'm willing to consider the tired palate score (or something approaching it) here though because my palate doesn't need to be super tired for this to start tasting quite good. A single drink in is probably enough. On a side note, here's a fun thing I've found to do with this: substitute it for bourbon in a boulevardier with Carpano Antiqua Formula Vermouth. The layers of funk are awesome and integrate well. I thought that my rumavardier with Papas Pilar sherry cask was good, but this is amazing! That sulphur is really holding this back from greatness. Springbank with bourbon barrels and added peat is terrific, but this execution is a bit lacking. I think the muddling isn't too bad, but the sulphur is clearly wrong. Side by side with Laphroiag 10 (17/23), this is less peaty and bitter with the funk coming more from the grain and process, and the bourbon barrels playing a bigger role. I do taste how this has more sulphur though, unfortunately. I like the direction that this one is going better, but the Laphroaig is better executed overall. Not by much though. I would put this above Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) because this tastes more mature, complex, and balanced. Highland Park 16 Wings of the Eagle (17/23) also shows a heavy bourbon influence. The Highland Park is smoother and richer with less funk and complexity. Although I like the funk here, I think I prefer the Highland Park for just not having any actual problems. In the end, I think I'm going with a 17. I do quite enjoy this, but I don't think I'd buy another bottle unless I really needed to get my Springbank fix. The sulphur and bit of alcohol bite really don't make me think of this as a super mature whisky, so if anything I would likely drop this score down in the future.