Springbank 18 Years Old

This Springbank, an official release, an 18 year old Campbeltown malt and bottled at 46%. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery distilling since 1828, run much as it was a century ago. It makes three malts: Springbank, the peated Longrow and the unpeated Hazelburn.

It was floor malted, lightly peated and distilled two and a half times, then condensed through worm tubs. Ex-Sherry wood suited the heavy make, adding a dried fruit richness. 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. Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn each show a different face of the one distillery.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Dried fruit and a vanilla oak from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. A coastal salt and an orchard fruit lift it. A long, oily, coastal finish lingers. This is an oily, salty Campbeltown classic.