Independently Bottled Springbanks, like this 1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years, have long been a hot commodity. This particular bottle I picked up for a Malt Nuts Springbank tasting we did in 2015 and I’m now, finally, posting the review and killing the bottle while I do it.
There is a part of me that thinks all whiskey reviews should be done like this. Blind notes when freshly opened; revisited the notes weeks or months later; finalize the review when the whisky is on its last glass. Though, for obvious reasons, that’s impractical.
Maybe if all whiskey bottles were 150 ml it would be practical, but at 5x that volume it’s just not. The sheer volume of consumption needed would result in fewer reviews being published and all whiskey writers would need a steady supply of new livers.
And on that lovely visual, let’s get to drinkin’!
1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Style: Single Malt (Scotch)
Region: Campbeltown, Scotland
Distiller: Springbank
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Age: 16 Years
ABV: 53.5%
Cask: 219
1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller
Related Whiskey
Springbank 10 Years
Springbank 12 Years Cask Strength
Springbank 15 Years
Springbank Local Barley 16 Years
Longrow Campbeltown Single Malt
1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years Tasting Notes
EYE
Hay
NOSE
Springbank funk, vanilla fondant, earthy malt, honey, cocoa, orchard fruit, nuts and a bit of melon rind and chalk.
The funk acts like a catalyst for all of the other amazing profiles to be more expressive and aromatic.
PALATE
Waxy banana taffy, malted vanilla milkshake, orchard fruit, milk chocolate, baking spice, honey and roasted nuts with a bit of funk and smoke.
Dessert sweetness mixes with a slight bit of fruit and smoke in an alluring way.
FINISH
Long -> Smoke, malted vanilla, banana shake and caramel with some oaky spice.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Well balanced, full body, heavy oily feel.
1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years – Overall Thoughts and Score
POW. This is a powerful whisky; it comes through heavily, but with grace. It’s a warm, fruity, alluring whisky and I kind of hate how good it is because I can’t go back to 2009 and get another bottle for $100. The only bottle like it I’ve found, a sister cask, is currently going for over $500…
Back to this one, it was opened on a semi-chilly night at a Malt Nuts mega tasting and was drank blind along with 16 other Springbanks. It was good, but didn’t blow me away. After the event, I took the remaining 2/5 home and forgot about it for a bit. A couple of months later I “rediscovered” it, drank some, loved it, reviewed it, but never posted it and so it went back on the shelf. Now, 7 years later, I’m finally killing it off and wishing I had more.
SCORE: 4.5/5 (very good, highly recommended ~ A- | 90-93)
1993 The Bottlers Springbank 16 Years Review $NA
Overall
4.1- Nose (4)
- Palate (4.5)
- Finish (4)
- BBF (4)