Springbank 25 Years Old 1999 Whiskyland Chapter Nineteen (Decadent Drinks)

Decadent Drinks bottled this Springbank, a 25 year old from 1999 and bottled at 42.2%. Just 229 bottles were filled. A family distillery since 1828, Springbank is still owned by the Mitchell family, five generations on. It makes three malts: Springbank, the peated Longrow and the unpeated Hazelburn.

The spirit was made by Springbank's singular two and a half times distillation, then condensed through worm tubs. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. At this age it is rich and complex, the fruit folded into a waxy, briny body. The oily, robust make carries cask flavour while holding its own character. 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 an approachable 42.2% it is balanced. A salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat meet a vanilla and toffee sweetness from the cask. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. The finish is long, waxy and briny. This is a hand made Campbeltown single malt.