April 3, 2015

Two well aged Springbank

Maybe a serious case of no comprendo. T's me, obviously.

Springbank 25 yo (46%, OB, 2014, 1200 bottles)

This one was matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, then ‘married’ (right, finished) in Port wood for a few months. How unlikely – but you never know. The packaging’s rather retro as well, as is customary at all Scottish distilleries these days, but this time, instead of Victorian design, it’s rather… say Brejnevian. Colour: apricoty. A bad sign in my book, but let’s forget about colours… Nose: winey. Blackcurrants, raspberries, geranium flowers, then orange cake and touches of dry artisan cider, grass, then the expected mild smoke (garden bonfire) and soot, and lastly, whiffs of musty old wine cellar. Hay. I’d say the whole feels a little too disjointed and un-Springbanky for my taste. Mouth: I remember a Laphroaig Port Wood that was a little similar, although this Springbank is not quite ridden with Port. Less winey fruits, rather stewed apples plus quite a lot of pepper, bitter oranges, ginger, and a bitterish curry. A lot of leather as well, which, together with the pepper, makes it rather astringent. What’s more, I find the body a tad thin. Finish: a little short, woody and peppery. Quite a lot of cinnamon as well, medicinal mints... Comments: I’m rather disappointed. Even more so because I love Springbank and the vast majority of their latest offerings. I know, who am I?, but I wouldn’t have issued this bizarre concoction. Now indeed, other enthusiasts seem to enjoy it a lot, which is just cool. Plus hey, you have to be cruel to be kind, don’t you? In short, I don't seem to have understood this whisky. SGP:372 - 78 points.

Springbank 29 yo 1974/2003 (51.2%, Chieftains for Ton Overmars, Amsterdam, hogshead, cask #1778, 216 bottles)

Ian Mcleod’s Chieftain’s or Chieftain’s Choice ranges had quite a few old Springbanks around ten/fifteen years ago, and many have been good. Colour: gold (proper gold). Nose: another world. More complex and subtle, with finer phenolic touches, a bit of metal polish, brine, mushrooms, humus, moss, kippers, tobacco, soot, linseed oil, grass smoke… So some rather pure unadulterated old Springbank that has what’s needed where it’s needed. With water: gets totally cloudy, it’s almost milk. More smoke (burning seaweed on a remote beach) and ‘farmy strawberries’. Lovely. Mouth (neat): it’s a nervous, peppery, slightly acrid Springbank, with bitter lemons, grass, dust, soot, wax and just a touch of orange blossom honey to keep it gentle and approachable. With water: more oranges. Classic orange/soot/oil/metal profile that wasn’t uncommon in these vintages. Finish: medium length. A tad more leathery. Comments: solid, even if it hasn’t quite got the complex roundness that comes from more sherried old Springbanks. SGP:562 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Springbank I've tasted so far