Springbank 30 Years Old 1972 Cask #789 (Ian Macleod)

Ian Macleod selected this Springbank, aged 30 year old from 1972, drawn from cask 789 and bottled at 46%. Only 252 bottles were released. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is campbeltown's most revered surviving distillery. Small output and a cult following keep its bottles allocated and keenly sought.

This was distilled around two and a half times from floor malted, lightly peated barley, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the make lead. At three decades and more it is rich and oily, tropical fruit, beeswax and salt in a deep, old malt. The oily, robust make carries cask flavour while holding its own character. Quality and tradition, not volume, have always been the watchwords here. The spirit is filled to cask and matured within the distillery walls. Few distilleries keep so much of the old craft alive under one roof.

At an easy 46% it is gentle. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat are layered with vanilla, honey and coconut. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. A long finish smoulders on salt and oil. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.