Springbank Society Bottling 15 Years Old 2003

A distillery bottling of Springbank, a 15 year old release from 2003 and bottled at 56.2%. Just 1020 bottles were filled. Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery founded in 1828, a cult Campbeltown distillery with a devoted following. Concerto barley is malted on the floors and kilned in the distillery's own kiln.

It was distilled around two and a half times from floor malted, lightly peated barley, then cooled slowly in worm tubs. A wine cask gave a fruity, spiced depth to the make. By this age the maritime weight rounds into a richer, fuller malt. The cool, damp Campbeltown air by the sea gives a slow, even maturation. Demand far outstrips the small output, and bottles are keenly chased. 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.

At a full 56.2% it is bold and oily. A briny, oily depth with a hint of peat ride on plum and red berry. The texture is rich and oily, the salt threaded through. The finish is long, waxy and briny. This is a complex, coastal Campbeltown whisky.