Springbank Private Bottling 22 Years Old 1993

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 22 year old release from 1993, drawn from cask 628 and bottled at 51.8%. Just 242 bottles were filled. Springbank has distilled in Campbeltown since 1828, one of only three distilleries left in Campbeltown. Little has changed in the way the spirit is made for the best part of a century.

It was made by Springbank's singular two and a half times distillation, and worm tub cooled in the old way. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the oily fruit. Past twenty years the spirit turns waxy and profound while keeping its character. The oily, robust make carries cask flavour while holding its own character. 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. The town and the sea run through every cask of the make. The sea loch at the foot of the town shapes the coastal character of the malt.

Bottled at a cask strength 51.8%, it is rich. Vanilla, honey and coconut meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a salty body. The finish runs deep, briny and warm. This is the most traditional malt in Scotch.