Springbank 10 Year Old 2010 Local Barley

The Local Barley releases by Springbank are almost legendary. Getting hold of a bottle is nigh impossible, unless you are willing to pay four times the release price on the secondary market. Crazy, right? So I’m very happy that my German buddy Tobias did not think twice about opening his bottle – good on you, mate! – and offered me a generous sample.

Delicious nose on lots of sherry. Nicely dusty on cigar leaves, cocoa and cherry syrup. Furniture polish in hessian cloth. A lovely, fresh note of menthol. Dark honey and something like a fresh bouquet of flowers. Chocolate and maple syrup kick in after a few moments.

Nicely oily, almost syrupy on the palate. Now the funky notes (mushrooms!) that I often associate with Springbank come first. Excellent stuff. Pretty piquant on black pepper, nutmeg and a truckload of cloves. Walnutes, orange peel and raisins precede more menthol and dark maple syrup. Finally a salty edge and something herbal as well as a grand development of smoke. Heavenly stuff at perfect strength.

The finish is long and warm, starts very sweet but then evolves towards a soft bitterness and saltiness. Mint at the death.

A very exciting and richly layered Springer.

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