Springbank 12 Years Old Cask #Batch 8

This Springbank, an official release, a 12 year old Campbeltown malt, drawn from cask Batch 8 and bottled at 52.3%. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery distilling since 1828, run much as it was a century ago. Production is tiny by modern standards, a fraction of a large Speyside distillery.

It was floor malted, lightly peated and distilled two and a half times, and run into cast iron worm tubs. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, lending vanilla and honey. Mid age brings a fuller fruit and a deeper coastal complexity. Years in oak deepen the fruit and the maritime character together. The Mitchell family has held the distillery for five generations. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 52.3%, 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. A long, oily, coastal finish lingers. This is the cult Campbeltown malt from J and A Mitchell.