Springbank 1997 1st Batch

Let me just start by explaining how this went down. This was the first of the more recent line of Springbank vintage releases. It's almost 10 years old, and aged in re-charred sherry casks for maximum effect in the shortest time. Either way, the whisky community was going nuts over this one, and I picked up a bottle, I didn't like it. At all. So it's been sitting collecting dust, and recently I pulled it out when having a chat with a mate of mine, and it seemed much nicer. So I'm giving it another chance to see if 3 years in glass made any difference. I'll try to avoid the worst malt porn.

Nose: Very bold, sherry and caramel notes, it's incredibly complex, especially for such a young whisky. There's everything in there, cut grass, very lovely and appetizing.

Taste: Citrusy and salty, shows it's young, powerful age, there's some nice chewey malt, and then goes on to develop in a sherry direction, but that's quickly overpowered by some spices. Some gingery notes make up a rather nice, if pretty spicy backdrop.

Finish: Very compact, but uninteresting and fairly short, more or less all the same notes from the mouth, citrus, slight sweetness.

It's better then 3 years ago, and comparing notes from now and then, they're quite different. It's a decent dram, but it's been treated with heavy wood, and it's as though something is missing although I can't quite put my finger on. 83/100

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