Springbank 21 Years Old 2000 Cask #12 (Adelphi)

Adelphi bottled this Springbank, a 21 year old release from 2000, drawn from cask 12 and bottled at 43.4%. A release of 247 bottles. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery run by J and A Mitchell since 1828, one of the last working distilleries of old Campbeltown. The cult around Springbank has made it one of the most collected of all malts.

It was floor malted, lightly peated and distilled two and a half times, then condensed through worm tubs. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Past twenty years the spirit turns waxy and profound while keeping its character. Sea air works into the warehouses, lending a saline thread as the whisky breathes. 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. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town.

At 43.4%, undiluted, it is deep and powerful. An oily, maritime character with light peat are layered with creamy vanilla and oak sweetness. A coastal salt and an orchard fruit lift it. A long, oily, coastal finish lingers. This is an oily, salty Campbeltown classic.