Springbank 21 Years Old (46% 2012)

An official Springbank single malt, a 21 year old and bottled at 46%. Just 1560 bottles were filled. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is a family distillery that malts and bottles every drop on site. The family owner also holds Cadenhead's, the oldest independent bottler in Scotland.

The spirit was drawn off after two and a half distillations of gently peated malt, with the spirit condensed in worm tubs. Ex-Sherry wood suited the heavy make, adding a dried fruit richness. Beyond twenty years the malt grows waxy and deep, tropical fruit and salt over an oily base. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, complex core over time. 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 an easy 46% it is gentle. Dried fruit and a vanilla oak meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. Salt and oily fruit see out a long finish. This is Springbank's rich, oily, maritime style.