Springbank
- OWNER: J. & A. MITCHELL & COMPANY
- FOUNDED: 1828
- REGION: CAMPBELTOWN
Springbank was founded in 1828 by a smuggler and moonshiner named William Reid. His tenuous relationship with the law made it difficult to run a legal distillery, and so in 1837 he sold it to his in-laws, the Mitchell family, who have owned it ever since, making Springbank one of just a handful of family-owned distilleries in Scotland. Though it has a capacity of 750,000 liters a year, Springbank produces a wide variety of expressions under three brand names: the unpeated Hazelburn, the lightly peated Springbank, and the heavily peated Longrow (see Hazelburn and Longrow reviews under their own entries). Springbank is the only original Campbeltown distillery still in operation; Hazelburn and Longrow are named for defunct distilleries, but are no longer made at their respective namesakes—the original Hazelburn is now used as warehousing; Longrow was demolished, and its site is now the Springbank parking lot. Like Mortlach, Springbank is semi-triple-distilled, with a portion of the distillate making a pit stop at an intermediate still before proceeding to the spirit still (Hazelburn, however, goes through a true triple-distillation).
Aged 10 Years
Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. The classic Springbank, a combination of fire and earthiness, what Iain Banks called “a real surf and turf whisky.”
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 10 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Fruity and waxy, redolent of spicy pears, sweet smoke, sweet mustard, and salt air; water calls forth orange marmalade, wood smoke, moss, and vanilla.
- PALATE A thick mouthfeel with peat reek, grilled pork, orange extract, and salt water; a few drops of water dries it out a bit and adds citrus zest to the mix. The finish is briny and peppery—think smoked fish–flavored Pop Rocks.
- GENERAL Astoundingly supple and complex for a ten year old, but it would be a winner against many single malts twice its age. Recommended as a peated whisky for people who don’t like peat.
Springbank
Cask Strength
Springbank’s 12 Year Old is always bottled at cask strength, but the proof levels vary from batch to batch.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 56.3%
- NOSE Honey, ashtray, burnt rubber, wax, grilled chicken, and raisins; with water you’ll find match heads and a richer meat note, like grilled pork.
- PALATE A thick and oily mouthfeel, with an ashy, meaty minerality that blends well with high notes of orange candy, caramel, and sweet char; hot pepper develops at the mid-palate. Water amps up the pepper. The finish is long, sweet, and smoky—think grilled orange slices.
- GENERAL An Olympian whisky at a mortal’s price. Deep, dark, robust, but without the burn you’d expect from such a high proof. It develops in the glass, especially with water.
Green
Made with organic barley—hence the “Green” in the name—and aged in sherry butts.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 13 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Sweet peat, grilled seafood, seaweed, honey-glazed meat, salt, and a slight minerality; water tones down the peat and brings out salty crackers.
- PALATE Medium, with notes of green vegetables, sweet smoke, and grilled fruit; water calls forth ginger, chocolate, and tobacco. The finish is slightly dry, crispy, and minty.
- GENERAL Pricy, but worth it. It’s a peated whisky for non–peat lovers. At ten years old, it’s a surprisingly mature and complex spirit.
Springbank
Aged 15 Years
Like the 10 Year Old, this is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 15 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Vanilla, green apple candy, scrambled eggs, seaweed, and a beach fire; it opens significantly with water, exhibiting lemon zest and a slight but clear funk.
- PALATE Oily and creamy, with almond paste, ash, spicy peppers, and grilled shrimp; the sherry peeks out a bit with water. The finish lingers with smoke, heather, shellfish, and vanilla.
- GENERAL Unlike the 10 Year Old, the 15 shows very little sherry influence. It’s drier and earthier than its younger sibling, too.
Aged 18 Years
Aged primarily in ex-sherry hogsheads.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Briny and kelpy, like a fish tank, with caramel, wood ash, barbecue sauce, and French herbs; maple syrup, raspberry jam, and a meaty umami note emerge with water.
- PALATE Medium mouthfeel, with sweet chocolate and cherries up front, followed by spice and smoked oysters at the mid-palate; water underlines the spice. The finish is dry, spicy, and just a bit sweet.
- GENERAL What the ironborn of the Game of Thrones series would drink—herbal, sweet, balanced, and, above all, brawny.