Springbank 18 Years Old 1973 Dumpy Bottle (Cadenhead’s)

Cadenhead's selected this Springbank, an 18 year old release from 1973 and bottled at 57.5%. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery run by J and A Mitchell since 1828, Campbeltown's most revered surviving distillery. Bottles are released in small batches, often through ballots to meet the demand.

It was run two and a half times through the stills from lightly peated malt, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. A Rum cask shaped it, lending brown sugar and a tropical lift. Around the mid teens the malt gains depth while keeping its oily salt. Years in oak deepen the fruit and the maritime character together. 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. Quality and tradition, not volume, have always been the watchwords here.

At a full 57.5% it is bold and oily. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat are layered with brown sugar, banana and a tropical lift. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. It closes long, oily and salty. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.