Springbank Single Cask 11 Years Old 1997

This official Springbank single malt, an 11 year old Campbeltown malt from 1997, drawn from cask 638 and bottled at 58.7%. Just 558 bottles were filled. Springbank, founded in 1828 in Campbeltown, is campbeltown's most revered surviving distillery. Small output and a cult following keep its bottles allocated and keenly sought.

This was distilled the Springbank way, two and a half times from floor malted barley, the vapour cooled in worm tubs. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. At this age the spirit is vivid and oily, the fruit and salt to the fore. Everything is done on site, the spirit going from still to cask to bottle in Campbeltown. 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.

At a natural 58.7% it is full and oily. An oily, maritime character with light peat are layered with dried fruit, fig and walnut. Soft fruit and brine sit behind the cask sweetness. The close is rich, fruit over a saline depth. This is a revered Campbeltown single malt.