Springbank 27 Years Old 1995 Cask #135 (BB&R)

From Berry Bros & Rudd comes this Springbank, aged 27 year old from 1995, drawn from cask 135 and bottled at 52.1%. A release of 219 bottles. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is one of the last working distilleries of old Campbeltown. Production is tiny by modern standards, a fraction of a large Speyside distillery.

This was drawn off after two and a half distillations of gently peated malt, and run into cast iron worm tubs. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the spirit. At this age it is rich and complex, the fruit folded into a waxy, briny body. The cool, damp Campbeltown air by the sea gives a slow, even maturation. Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn each show a different face of the one distillery. The open larch washbacks are a rare survival in modern Scotch. The distillery has become a place of pilgrimage for whisky enthusiasts.

At 52.1%, undiluted, it is deep and powerful. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat are layered with creamy vanilla and oak sweetness. The texture is rich and oily, the salt threaded through. Salt and oily fruit see out a long finish. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.