Springbank 16 Years Old 1998 Cask #212 (Meadowside Blending)

From Meadowside Blending comes this Springbank, aged 16 year old from 1998, drawn from cask 212 and bottled at 51.7%. 307 bottles in all. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is one of the last working distilleries of old Campbeltown. Uniquely in Scotch, every drop is floor malted, distilled, matured and bottled on the one site.

This was run two and a half times through the stills from lightly peated malt, and run into cast iron worm tubs. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit and tannin meeting the oily spirit. Past a decade the oily spirit deepens, fruit and salt knitting with the oak. Sea air works into the warehouses, lending a saline thread as the whisky breathes. The distillery has become a place of pilgrimage for whisky enthusiasts. Kintyre's damp, mild climate suits a long and gentle maturation. The old town of Campbeltown once rivalled Speyside as Scotland's whisky heart.

At a hearty 51.7% it carries real weight. Brine, wax and a light peat note are layered with plum, cherry and red fruit. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.