Springbank 22 Years Old 1994 Cask #639909 (Duncan Taylor)

This is a Springbank single malt, chosen and bottled by Duncan Taylor, a 22 year old release from 1994, drawn from cask 639909 and bottled at 50.7%. Only 81 bottles were released. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery founded in 1828, a byword for traditional Scotch whisky making. Campbeltown was its own protected whisky region long before the revival.

It was distilled two and a half times from lightly peated, floor malted malt, and slowly worm tub cooled. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. Long ageing brings an oily depth, candied fruit and a mellow coastal salt. The hands on, small scale working shapes a spirit of real individuality. 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.

At a hearty 50.7% it carries real weight. Oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat ride on dried fruit, fig and walnut. It is rich and layered, the fruit and salt well matched. The finish is long, waxy and briny. This is the flagship malt of old Campbeltown.