Springbank Christmas 2010

This official Springbank single malt and bottled at 46%. Just 66 bottles were filled. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery founded in 1828, prized for its rich, oily, hand made spirit. Small output and a cult following keep its bottles allocated and keenly sought.

It was floor malted, lightly peated and distilled two and a half times, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. No age is given, but the oily depth marks it as classic Campbeltown make. Long maturation suits the heavy, characterful make, the cask knitting slowly with the spirit. The distillery has become a place of pilgrimage for whisky enthusiasts. Kintyre's damp, mild climate suits a long and gentle maturation. The old town of Campbeltown once rivalled Speyside as Scotland's whisky heart. Quality and tradition, not volume, have always been the watchwords here.

At 46% it is smooth and oily. A coastal, waxy spirit with gentle peat meet vanilla, honey and coconut from the cask. Soft fruit and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. A long, oily, coastal finish lingers. This is a revered Campbeltown single malt.