Springbank Private Bottling 28 Years Old 1974 (46%)

An official Springbank single malt matured to 28 year old from 1974, drawn from cask 1157 and bottled at 46%. A release of 630 bottles. In Mitchell family hands since 1828, Springbank is a family distillery that malts and bottles every drop on site. The distillery sits in the heart of Campbeltown, near the head of its sea loch.

The spirit was drawn off after two and a half distillations of gently peated malt, with the spirit condensed in worm tubs. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. At this age it is rich and complex, the fruit folded into a waxy, briny body. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, complex core over time. The spirit is filled to cask and matured within the distillery walls. 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.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. A vanilla and toffee sweetness meets a salty, waxy depth with a whisper of peat. A waxy weight and a saline tang give it real body. Salt and oily fruit see out a long finish. This is Springbank's rich, oily, maritime style.