Springbank Private Bottling 15 Years Old 2001

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 15 year old Campbeltown malt from 2001, drawn from cask 109 and bottled at 55.4%. The Springbank distillery, in Mitchell family hands since 1828, 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.

The make was run two and a half times through the stills from lightly peated malt, and worm tub cooled in the old way. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. By this age the maritime weight rounds into a richer, fuller malt. The cool, damp Campbeltown air by the sea gives a slow, even maturation. The open larch washbacks are a rare survival in modern Scotch. 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.

At a hearty 55.4% it carries real weight. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat ride on a vanilla and toffee sweetness. 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.