Springbank Single Cask 20 Years Old 2004

An official Springbank single malt, aged 20 year old from 2004 and bottled at 55.2%. The outturn was 186 bottles. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is a family distillery that malts and bottles every drop on site. The distillery sits in the heart of Campbeltown, near the head of its sea loch.

This was run through the distillery's part triple distillation, the malt floor malted and gently peated, with the spirit condensed in worm tubs. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the make lead. Long ageing brings an oily depth, candied fruit and a mellow coastal salt. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, complex core over time. Few distilleries keep so much of the old craft alive under one roof. Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world, with more than thirty distilleries at its peak. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.2%, it is rich. A vanilla and toffee sweetness meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. A warming, oily finish lingers long. This is Springbank's rich, oily, maritime style.