Springbank 40 Years Old 1950 (Ex-Bourbon)

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 40 year old from 1950 and bottled at 46%. Only 120 bottles were released. The Springbank distillery, established in 1828, is one of only three distilleries left in Campbeltown. Concerto barley is malted on the floors and kilned in the distillery's own kiln.

The make was run two and a half times through the stills from lightly peated malt, then cooled slowly in worm tubs. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. Very old Campbeltown make turns profound, oily and tropical with a coastal salt. The oily, robust make carries cask flavour while holding its own character. 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 46% it is soft, oily and coastal. Vanilla, honey and coconut meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. The texture is rich and oily, the salt threaded through. A long finish smoulders on salt and oil. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.