Springbank Private Bottling 17 Years Old 2001 (50.1%)

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 17 year old from 2001, drawn from cask 123 and bottled at 50.1%. Only 234 bottles were released. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is one of only three distilleries left in Campbeltown. Water comes from Crosshill Loch, the barley malted on the distillery's own floors.

The spirit was drawn off after two and a half distillations of gently peated malt, and worm tub cooled in the old way. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit and tannin meeting the oily spirit. By this age the maritime weight rounds into a richer, fuller malt. The oily, robust make carries cask flavour while holding its own character. Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn each show a different face of the one distillery. 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.

At a hearty 50.1% it carries real weight. Plum, cherry and red fruit meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. Salt and oily fruit see out a long finish. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.