Springbank 12 Year Old 1997 Duncan Taylor NC²

This is an extremely pale Springbank, which undoubtedly points towards a bourbon cask. The label simply says ‘Aged 12 years in oak casks’. Doh! It was bottled by Duncan Taylor in their NC² range, meaning non chill-filtered and non coloured. In short: in its natural state. Strangely it also says ‘triple distilled’ on the label, while the lads at Springbank only distilled 2,5 times. Well, that is nitpicking, is it not?

The nose is soft but extremely sweet. You would not guess this was bottled at cask strength. Marzipan and pineapple. Hardly any smoke to be detected. Nor any trace of the dusty attic. Some mint and thyme. Honey, as well. Very fresh and clean. After some hand warmth, vanilla and coconut take over.

On the palate, it shows some force. Feisty on pepper and pretty creamy. Vanilla and coconut take the lead. Do I taste some smoke there, after all? Probably from the wood. The pineapple and honey crawl to the surface. The whole is very (almost too) sweet.

The finish is medium in length, remains sweet until the end, although a pinch of salt tries to counter the sweetness.

Very good, no two ways about it, and maybe even a tad unusual for a Springbank. Flawless, but not that complex. One-dimensional, although that sounds a bit harsh.

Find where to buy Springbank whisky