Springbank 1966 Local Barley Cask 500

Springbank 10 Year Old

A malt I've always wanted to try, so hey, I cracked it open while my daughter Maggie plays next door. It's a lovely golden honey colour; in the glass, you can see it is slightly oily, with solid legs. The nose feels coastal but not too much: salt, heather, slightly medicinal, with some aloe behind a strong maltiness. Fairly briny on the tongue,...

Score 82/100

Springbank 10 Year Old 2006 Duty Paid Sample

My buddy Anthony brought back this gem from Springbank. A duty paid sample at 57.3% from a first fill sherry hogshead. I guess I’m in for a treat. Some weird nose on baby sick, matchsticks, pickles (!) and dark fruit like figs. That is upholstered with some candied sugar, but also some varnish and cherry liqueur. Very amusing, but not very easy....

Score 86/100

Springbank 10 Year Old 1998 Glengarry Cask Owners 386

This is the sister cask of refill sherry 385. It was also filled on 20th November 1998 and bottled in April 2009. So like the others in this series, it is a 10 Year Old. I am putting them head-to-head. Again I get berries on the nose, but less than on cask 385. This is more nutty and citrusy. Pomegranate too. And it has a milky side, no kidding....

Score 84/100

Springbank Campbeltown Loch Season’s Greetings 2016

Every year, there is also a Season’s Greetings edition of the Campbeltown Loch for Christmas. Thanks to my buddy Pat, I was able to get a hold of the 2016 release. It is clearly darker than the rather pale standard release, indicating other casks went into the mix. The nose is also a lot more interesting. Dark and sweet, making me guess some...

Score 81/100