Springbank Local Barley 33 Years Old 1966

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 33 year old release from 1966, drawn from cask 1966 508 and bottled at 53.5%. Springbank, distilling since 1828 in Campbeltown, is a cult Campbeltown distillery with a devoted following. Little has changed in the way the spirit is made for the best part of a century.

This was run through the distillery's part triple distillation, the malt floor malted and gently peated, and worm tub cooled in the old way. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. Very old Campbeltown make turns profound, oily and tropical with a coastal salt. The cool, damp Campbeltown air by the sea gives a slow, even maturation. Few distilleries keep so much of the old craft alive under one roof. Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world, with more than thirty distilleries at its peak. Today just three distilleries survive in the old Kintyre whisky town.

At a full 53.5% it is bold and oily. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat ride on vanilla, honey and coconut. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. A warming, oily finish lingers long. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.