Springbank Whisky Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 17 April 2024, Whisky #6 Nose: Big, full, earthy, leathery malt. Lots of sherry, lots of bonfire smoke. A very capable sherried Longrow. Palate: Spicy sweet and intense arrival. Like the nose, the palate is a banquet of smoke, leather, sherried raisins and earthy malt extract. The texture is plush and oily. It takes water very well, the palate expanding, softening and gaining a juicy creaminess. Finish: Long. Dark-fruity sweet but with a spicy hint. This is not going to be obtainable for most enthusiasts, but bear with me – a review is justified. At the Springbank visitor’s centre there is a cage that usually contains a few bottles. These are basically 700ml duty-paid samples drawn from selected casks and the exact expressions rotate. Some of these “cage bottles” are one-offs, but sometimes (as in this case) several are drawn at the same time (this bottle was labeled ‘Rotation 582’). As a rule you will only ever find these at the distillery, but sometimes they are traded and so may turn up on auction sites. What is certain is that if you visit Springbank there is a very good chance that you can score a well-matured and virtually unique expression for the same price (or less) as a core-range bottling from a retail outlet, so make sure and look in the cage when you visit! This bottle was graciously opened for the tasting by the convenor, Josh, who obtained it on a recent visit to the distillery. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)