Springbank 16 Years Old 1996 Cask #72 (Adelphi)

Adelphi selected this Springbank, a 16 year old Campbeltown malt from 1996, drawn from cask 72 and bottled at 53.9%. The outturn was 220 bottles. The Springbank distillery, established in 1828, is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. Bottles are released in small batches, often through ballots to meet the demand.

The make was distilled two and a half times from lightly peated, floor malted malt, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. By this age the maritime weight rounds into a richer, fuller malt. Worm tub condensing and an oil fired wash still build the rich, oily texture the distillery is known for. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 53.9%, it is rich. A vanilla and toffee sweetness from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. Soft fruit and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. It closes long, oily and salty. This is a revered Campbeltown single malt.