Springbank Private Cask 31 Years Old 1993

This official Springbank single malt, a 31 year old Campbeltown malt from 1993, drawn from cask 172 and bottled at 44.4%. Only 127 bottles were released. Springbank, run by J and A Mitchell since 1828 in Campbeltown, is the most traditional distillery in Scotch, malting all its own barley. The distillery champions the old, slow, labour intensive way of making whisky.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, and condensed in traditional worm tubs. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed sweetness. Decades leave it waxy and oxidative, candied fruit and brine with great depth. Worm tub condensing and an oil fired wash still build the rich, oily texture the distillery is known for. 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.

At its natural 44.4% it is concentrated. A vanilla and toffee sweetness from the cask underpins oily orchard fruit, salt and a wisp of peat. Beneath it run oily fruit, salt and a coastal depth. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is the flagship malt of old Campbeltown.