Like many single malt lovers I’m a big fan of the Springbank distillery and the Springbank 15 is one of the reasons I’m such a big fan. Located in the Campbeltown region of Scotland, Springbank is one of the last remaining distilleries in a region that used to have over 30 distilleries and was once the “Whisky Capital Of The World”. You could basically skip from one distillery to the next back in the day.
Today though, there’s no “basically” about it. You actually can skip from one to the other as Glengyle is owned by, and built on the the same property as, Springbank and Glen Scotia is a scant .03 miles away which is a mere 6 minute skip down Lochend St. No, I’ve never been to the ancestral home of the Springbank distillery, I just looked it up on Google maps to see how close it is to Glen Scotia.
Springbank 15 Years Info
Region: Campbeltown, Scotland
Distiller: Springbank
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry
Age: 15 years
ABV: 46%
Price: $100
Springbank 15 Years Review
EYE
Honey
NOSE
A bit of sherried malt, fruit, oily nuts, graham, toffee, spice and a bit of smoke and citrus with an earthy underpinning. A lovely dynamic aroma.
PALATE
Sweetly malty with notes of graham crackers, cocoa, spice, ash, nuts and dried fruit accompanying. A bit of earthy peat picks along with some sherry notes up as it heads towards the finish.
FINISH
Long, sweetly malty, fruity, nutty and a bit of smoky char.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced, medium – almost heavy – body and a warm slick feel.
OVERALL
Springbank 15 Years has a fun sweet and earthy aroma; a robust sweet, spicy and earthy palate and a finish that pulls it all together. It’s something that I enjoy drinking, though the $100+ price tag keeps me from picking it up and keeping it at home on a regular basis. I’m not saying it’s a terrible value by any means, I’m just saying there’s whisky I like a bit more that I can pick up for a bit less and so I do. Though if you’ve never tried the Sprinkbank 15 I highly recommend you do.
On a related side note, I know the Springbank 15 isn’t a peated whisky, but I kept getting light notes of peat across the senses on this one. I thought it might have been in a tainted glass, but in reading other people’s notes it seems like sometimes, but not always, others get a smoky note in there as well. It’s interesting for sure, but in small distilleries like this a bit of variation is to be expected.
SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, not consumed at home)
