I took count of my backlog of samples, and it turns out I have over 70...SEVENTY!! I’m really slacking. Some of them go back over a year. I really need to put in some overtime on these things. This one comes from by way of @Telex. This Springbank was aged for 12 years in Burgundy casks. Bottled at 53.5% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a dark amber. The nose is sweet on top with the classic Springbank funk underneath. Light vegetal peat, sulfur, very aromatic. Rich burgundy notes as well as salted caramel, chocolate and vanilla. Mixed berry pie filling, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, maple and toffee. Meaty, more of that Springbank funk and Worcestershire sauce. Mineral notes, herbal, hay. Water isn’t needed but I added some anyway to see what would happen. A bit of orange citrus and not much else. Much better without water. Plenty of heat on the arrival but a good heat. Earthy peat, pepper. Dark berries, dense grain breads, oak, wine notes and red grapes. Salted caramels, mineral funk and a bit of mint. Water brings out something akin to nuttiness, but I’m not sure if that’s it. Also a little tobacco. Again, no water needed here, much better neat. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is oily and mouth coating. The finish is medium long with that Springbank funk, winey, grapes, berries, mineral notes and dry. Definitely a Springbank, no doubts there. The question is how I feel about it. I’m constantly barraged with others glowing opinions about this distillery, but I haven’t decided if I like it or not. I didn’t care for the 12 CS, the 13 Green was good but very odd, but I did have a 24 year old from Maltman that was exquisite. I’ve got a bottle of the 10 year old, plus a bottle of Longrow 18, but of course if I open them it will take time away from my samples...decisions decisions. This one was a good variant with the burgundy casks adding a nice level of complexity. I think I just need to try a few more to really make up my mind. As for this one, I’d give it a 3.75-4. Cheers