Springbank 24 Years Old 2000 Cask #C25128 (Claxton’s)

Claxton's selected this Springbank, a 24 year old from 2000, drawn from cask C25128 and bottled at 44.6%. The outturn was 50 bottles. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. Bottles are released in small batches, often through ballots to meet the demand.

The spirit was made by Springbank's singular two and a half times distillation, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. Maturation in a sherry cask laid dried fruit over the maritime malt. Beyond twenty years the malt grows waxy and deep, tropical fruit and salt over an oily base. A patient maturation suits the rich, complex Campbeltown spirit. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town. 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.

Undiluted at 44.6%, it is intense. Dried fruit and a walnut richness from the cask underpins brine, wax and a light peat note. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. The finish is long, waxy and briny. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.