Springbank 18 Years Old (58.7%)

A distillery bottling of Springbank, an 18 year old release from 1996 and bottled at 58.7%. The outturn was 210 bottles. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is a survivor of Campbeltown's great whisky era. Concerto barley is malted on the floors and kilned in the distillery's own kiln.

This was run through the distillery's part triple distillation, the malt floor malted and gently peated, then cooled slowly in worm tubs. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, lending vanilla and honey. Around the mid teens the malt gains depth while keeping its oily salt. Refill oak lets the distillery character lead, all oily weight and coastal salt. The spirit is filled to cask and matured within the distillery walls. Few distilleries keep so much of the old craft alive under one roof. Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world, with more than thirty distilleries at its peak.

At 58.7%, undiluted, it is deep and powerful. Brine, wax and a light peat note sit over creamy vanilla and oak sweetness. The texture is rich and oily, the salt threaded through. A warming, oily finish lingers long. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.