Springbank 14 Year Old 2002 Bourbon Wood

In 2004 a 12 years old Springbank – distilled in 1991 – was launched in a so-called Wood Expressions series. For that particular release, you’ll fork over 300 to 400 EUR today. But in 2017 Springbank launched a new bourbon wood expression – albeit distilled in 2002 and thus 14 years old when bottled – which can still be found. There were 9.000 bottles at cask strength. It’s a vatting of fresh and refill bourbon barrels.

Oh, yes, this is typical Springbank. Diesel, vanilla, lemon, chestnut, hessian sacks, chalk, overripe pear, icing sugar and a couple of drops of brackish water. Very clean and inviting.

It starts very sweet – pineapple cubes, oranges, mango and a hint of banana. Then caramel, sea salt and grapefruit follow and the whole turns nicely smoky. The palate offers more than the nose promised. Becomes rather intense and very good.

It actually turns rather tropical in the wonderfully long finish. Think grapefruit, banana and mango. And it remains nicely peaty. Delicious.

Textbook example of what Springbank on bourbon should taste like. Balsy.

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