Springbank 10 Years Old (57.6%)

This official Springbank single malt, a 10 year old release and bottled at 57.6%. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is run much as it was a century ago. Production is tiny by modern standards, a fraction of a large Speyside distillery.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, and run into cast iron worm tubs. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Younger here, it keeps a vigorous, briny freshness over the oily body. Years in oak deepen the fruit and the maritime character together. The maritime warehouses by the sea lend the malt its briny, oily depth. A 1940s Porteus mill and an open iron mash tun are part of the old setup. The Mitchell family has held the distillery for five generations. The town and the sea run through every cask of the make.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.6%, it is rich. Creamy vanilla and oak sweetness from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is the cult Campbeltown malt from J and A Mitchell.