Springbank 18 Year Old

My first bottle of Springbank 18.

Bottle has been open for 2 months and I've had 5 or 6 drams from it.

I've never known a whisky change so much after the bottle was opened as this one. The first dram was very rich and fruity. The flavour reference I made a mental note of was black forest gateau. I left it a week, went back to it and it was completely different. Most of the fruity notes had gone and it was much drier and savoury. It's remained fairly consistent in profile since.

Nose

Gingerbread, white wine vinegar, mint leaves, white pepper a certain oakiness.

Palate

Barley sugar, bananabread, golden grahams cereal, hot cross buns, buttered toast. As it develops it becomes salty.

Finish is long, drying and a little sour, with some peat.

So. Another great Springbank. Clearly made by people who know what they are doing. Clearly not for the beginner. Much to admire about it. But I don't love it. I think I prefer the power of the 12 year old and the 15 which is a simpler whisky for spending a little time in sherry casks (I said simpler, I didn't say simple, Springbank don't make simple whisky). It's great. But for the price I can have a bottle each of the 10 and 15 and I think that is the better option.

This is a distillery that really grew on me last year, with Springbank 15 being my favourite release from them so far.

First try of the 18yo then...

Nose: Quite light and grassy, but with lots of brine and a strong touch of peat. Sweet fruits underly it. Blackcurrant in particular and slightly reminiscent of boiled sweets. It doesn't mention on the bottle but I'm pretty certain this has some sherry influence.

The palate is very briney and fruity. Saltiness and ripe berries really compete for dominance but neither wins. Peatiness apparent later on as it descends into a very dry and satisfying finish.

For me this edges out the 15. The sherry influence and fruitiness really add a delicious extra layer to an already great whisky. Highly recommended.

The Springbank is part of my ongoing fascination with Campbeltown whiskies. For no particular reason I am just fascinated by this region. It's like having a love affair with someone difficult. You are crushed when they fail you but their triumphs fill you with delight.

While this 18 year old does not exactly set the night on fire it is a beautiful whisky with a unique earthy quality.

Lightly peated with a touch of smoke the nose is dominated by wild red berries sprinkled with salt. The sherry influence is warm and earthy giving it a peculiar dusty quality. And finally there is that musky aftershave. I wouldn't mind splashing this one on after a morning shave.

Quite a strong oily mouthfeel - confident without overpowering. The earthy sherry is back and it brings with it the berries. Then some figs and raisins with a sprinkle of all-spice.

The finish is oily too with that familiar earthiness and musky overtones. Wait. Scratch that. I get Coca Cola. I swear.

Another subtly unique gem from C'town.

During my last trip to Scotland in May, we had the great pleasure of touring the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown. We got a chance to quickly meet Director of Production Frank McHardy, and had a fantastic tour, culminating in a tasting in the rooms at the back of Cadenhead's retail store nearby. I spent a little bit too much money there........

.....but I didn't buy this bottle there - got it at the ol' overpriced LCBO. The 18 Year Old is released annually, in a limited run of 9000 bottles. It is 80% matured in sherry casks and 20% in bourbon barrels and, as with all Springbanks, is non-coloured and non-chill-filtered.

The colour is a deep coppery gold. On the nose, rum raisin, chocolate hazelnut and strawberries. Malty and spicy. A hint of mint. Very complex, a lot going on and all these different notes work together very well. Water brings out a very subtle, light balsamic quality. Very interesting.

On the palate, briny, with vanilla and white pepper. Very Springbank, and with berries and cream. Buttery and delicious. Water seriously ups the spicy heat, bringing cayenne pepper! Wow!

The finish is quite gentle at first, then developing into cinnamon and nutmeg - but near the end becomes a little too bitter. That is the only off note in what is otherwise one of the great Springbanks. Jim Murray scores this a 90.5, and it won Best Campbeltown Single Mat at the 2012 World Whiskies Awards. I cannot recommend highly enough a trip to Campbeltown, where you can visit a distillery that is a time machine to a bygone era of whisky-making; purchase some rare bottlings at Cadenhead's; and finish with many impossible-to-find drams at the Ardshiel Hotel.

Warm thick steady fruit arrival develops a pleasant ashy wooden middle followed by long slow fruit and vegetable finish.

From a sample

Nose: A lightly smoky vein winds its way through the profile, along with waxy bits of dried fruit. Papaya, mango, pineapple, raisin, and little flecks of coconut. There's also a petrol and spirity quality to it. Not deep or potent, but a lot of fun here.

Palate: Very similar to the nose, but the smoke is more apparent. The fruits are more yellow than orange. Something like plastic, and probably from the petrol that was in the nose.

Finish: Long and very pleasant. Smooth all the way through, and virtually all the same notes. As usual, this one's a winner for sure. Notes are fairly short for it because it's consistent from start to finish. Great all-around.

This really is an exceptional offering and one that I've been meaning to obtain for a while now. This is the latest bottling 2010 of the 18 yo. I don't usually add water to my whisky but this needs it ( in my opinion) as neat is just a bit to dense and oily. On the nose I'm finding an unusual blend of sea spray almost champagne like evervesence, butterscotch and white pepper. The arrival is super-light, a truffle oil coating of the palate moving onto a light sherry and sea-salt stage and finishing with a fresh ginger and long tingling white pepper finish that sparkles like fine champagne.

The signature sea salt freshness is perfectly complimented with a delicate soft sherry lightness and exotic pepper finish.