Springbank 25 Years Old 1996 Cask #195A (Glenscoma)

Bottled by Glenscoma, this Springbank, aged 25 year old from 1996, drawn from cask 195A and bottled at 49.2%. Just 176 bottles were filled. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is a survivor of Campbeltown's great whisky era. Water comes from Crosshill Loch, the barley malted on the distillery's own floors.

This was floor malted, lightly peated and distilled two and a half times, and worm tub cooled in the old way. A sherry cask wrapped the oily spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Long ageing brings an oily depth, candied fruit and a mellow coastal salt. Refill oak lets the distillery character lead, all oily weight and coastal salt. The open larch washbacks are a rare survival in modern Scotch. 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.

Undiluted at 49.2%, it is intense. A coastal, waxy spirit with gentle peat sit over dried fruit and a walnut richness. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. A warming, oily finish lingers long. This is an oily, salty Campbeltown classic.