Springbank 25 Years Old (46% 2020)

This official Springbank single malt, aged 25 year old and bottled at 46%. Just 1200 bottles were filled. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. Hedley Wright's family has kept the distillery independent for the best part of two centuries.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, and condensed in traditional worm tubs. Ex-Sherry wood suited the heavy make, adding a dried fruit richness. At this age it is rich and complex, the fruit folded into a waxy, briny body. Worm tub condensing and an oil fired wash still build the rich, oily texture the distillery is known for. 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.

At 46% it is smooth and oily. Dried fruit and a vanilla oak from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. Beneath it run oily fruit, salt and a coastal depth. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is the flagship malt of old Campbeltown.