Springbank 18 Years Old (46% Netherlands)

An official Springbank single malt, an 18 year old and bottled at 46%. The Springbank distillery, a family distillery since 1828, is famous for doing everything on site, from floor malting to bottling. Campbeltown was its own protected whisky region long before the revival.

The make was run two and a half times through the stills from lightly peated malt, and slowly worm tub cooled. A wine cask held it, layering berry fruit over the coastal malt. Past a decade the oily spirit deepens, fruit and salt knitting with the oak. A patient maturation suits the rich, complex Campbeltown spirit. Demand far outstrips the small output, and bottles are keenly chased. Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn each show a different face of the one distillery. The open larch washbacks are a rare survival in modern Scotch. The distillery has become a place of pilgrimage for whisky enthusiasts. Kintyre's damp, mild climate suits a long and gentle maturation.

At 46% it is soft, oily and coastal. Brine, wax and a light peat note sit over plum and red berry. It is rich and layered, the fruit and salt well matched. A long finish smoulders on salt and oil. This is a hand made Campbeltown single malt.