Springbank 18 Years Old 1998 Cask #MoS 16009 (Malts of Scotland)

From Malts of Scotland comes this Springbank matured to 18 year old from 1998, drawn from cask MoS 16009 and bottled at 49.6%. The outturn was 147 bottles. Springbank has distilled in Campbeltown since 1828, run much as it was a century ago. Production is tiny by modern standards, a fraction of a large Speyside distillery.

It was distilled around two and a half times from floor malted, lightly peated barley, and run into cast iron worm tubs. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the spirit. Past a decade the oily spirit deepens, fruit and salt knitting with the oak. Years in oak deepen the fruit and the maritime character together. The maritime warehouses by the sea lend the malt its briny, oily depth. A 1940s Porteus mill and an open iron mash tun are part of the old setup. The Mitchell family has held the distillery for five generations.

At a hearty 49.6% it carries real weight. Creamy vanilla and oak sweetness from the cask underpins a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. It finishes deep, complex and maritime. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.