Springbank 35 Years Old 1969 Cask #149 (Adelphi)

From Adelphi comes this Springbank, a 35 year old from 1969, drawn from cask 149 and bottled at 58.5%. 425 bottles in all. A family distillery since 1828, Springbank is still owned by the Mitchell family, five generations on. Production is tiny by modern standards, a fraction of a large Speyside distillery.

The spirit was given Springbank's unusual two and a half times distillation, and run into cast iron 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. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its briny, mineral lift. 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. The Mitchell family has held the distillery for five generations.

At a full 58.5% it is bold and oily. A coastal, waxy spirit with gentle peat meet vanilla, honey and coconut from the cask. It is deep and complex, the maritime spirit shining through. Sea salt and fruit draw out the close. This is the cult Campbeltown malt from J and A Mitchell.