Springbank 18 Years Old

This Springbank, an official release, an 18 year old release and bottled at 46%. Springbank, distilling since 1828 in Campbeltown, is still owned by the Mitchell family, five generations on. The cult around Springbank has made it one of the most collected of all malts.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, then condensed through worm tubs. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. Mid age brings a fuller fruit and a deeper coastal complexity. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its briny, mineral lift. 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. 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.

At an approachable 46% it is balanced. A coastal, waxy spirit with gentle peat meet dried fruit and a vanilla oak from the cask. A coastal salt and an orchard fruit lift it. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is an oily, salty Campbeltown classic.