Hazelgrove 2000 MBl (Meadowside Blending)

Single malt Springbank, an independent Meadowside Blending bottling, a 16 year old release from 2000, drawn from cask 11078 and bottled at 47.1%. Only 176 bottles were released. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery founded in 1828, a byword for traditional Scotch whisky making. The distillery sits in the heart of Campbeltown, near the head of its sea loch.

It was given Springbank's unusual two and a half times distillation, with the spirit condensed in worm tubs. A sherry cask wrapped the oily spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. By this age the maritime weight rounds into a richer, fuller malt. The hands on, small scale working shapes a spirit of real individuality. The town and the sea run through every cask of the make. The sea loch at the foot of the town shapes the coastal character of the malt. Demand far outstrips the small output, and bottles are keenly chased.

At its natural 47.1% it is concentrated. A coastal, waxy spirit with gentle peat ride on dried fruit, fig and walnut. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. The finish is long, waxy and briny. This is the cult Campbeltown malt from J and A Mitchell.