Springbank 17 Years Old (52.3%)

This official Springbank single malt, a 17 year old release from 1997 and bottled at 52.3%. A release of 9120 bottles. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. Small output and a cult following keep its bottles allocated and keenly sought.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. 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. The old town of Campbeltown once rivalled Speyside as Scotland's whisky heart. Quality and tradition, not volume, have always been the watchwords here. The spirit is filled to cask and matured within the distillery walls.

At a natural 52.3% it is full and oily. Dried fruit and a walnut richness from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. Soft fruit and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is a revered Campbeltown single malt.