It’s officially 2022 and I’ve decided to “Spring”bank into it with a series of samples. Finishing off my Springbank series, I have a 26-year single cask release by The Whisky Exchange that was bottled at 44.6%. This was very tight when I first opened it and needed around an hour to get through that old-oak wall before the citrus and creamy notes started to emerge. Now that it’s opened up, time to dive in. The nose is big and rich that starts with a mix of old oak, moderate wheat field funk and combination of mango, papaya and prickly pear cactus followed a moderate smoke with an ocean breeze that fades to the background of vanilla meringues, fruits of lychee, poached pear and candied orange peel that transitions to cavernous minerality, pickled ginger, suede and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a rich and creamy mouthfeel that starts with a mix of old oak, moderate wheat field funk and combination of mango, papaya and prickly pear cactus followed by a light ashy spice that slowly fades to the background of vanilla creme brûlée, fruits of lychee, pear tart and mandarin orange that transitions to cavernous minerality, pickled ginger, suede and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sautéed apples, pear tart, red grapefruit, frosted vanilla cupcake, ocean brine, prickly pear cactus candy, light campfire ash, suede and old polished oak. Wow, what a drink to finish the series on!!! This is a bold, rich and well-aged Springbank that has a mix of funk, tropical fruits, moderate smoke, minerality and old oak that is perfectly balanced with a creamy mouthfeel that manages to keep everything in harmony and was a delight to drink. This really needed time to open up and show all of its flavors, but with patience this continued to just build on itself and improve with every sip until it was sadly over. At almost $60 for a 5cl, this is an expensive treat, but is a much easier price to justify trying a very old Springbank than the $1k plus it costs for a 25 year old today.