1999 14 Year Old Local Barley Springbank Society Bottling

The Springbank Society seems to be like a cross between the Friends of Laphroaig and the SMWS - you pay a fee and join the club online, but also get the opportunity to buy Society-only bottlings (and of course, only from the Springbank distillery). This is one such malt, made with local barley. I know next to nothing else about this so I'm going kind of blind here. Many thanks to Nick Spence for this sample.

The colour is a deep reddish bronze. The nose is full on umami, with rum-soaked raisins, heather, brine and a medium-bodied peat. Mint. Dark chocolate. Used coffee grounds. Blood pudding. Port. Boot polish. This is so amazing, I'm afraid to add water...but here we go: malt and sea breeze, but otherwise things are a little diluted. Dark, brooding and richly sherried, this is quite unlike any Springbank I have ever had.

On the palate there is tons of brine - combined with the alcohol heat, my lips are tingling! More dark chocolate, salumi, oversteeped lapsang souchon and beef gravy. Less peat than on the nose. Mouth-coating. Reminiscent of some Karuizawas. A slight hint of sulphur is the only flaw, but it took me 10 minutes to realize it. Water brings out chili oil.

The finish is long and ever changing - spicy with Christmas pudding and Bovril. I love Springbank, and this may be the best I've ever had - hell, it's one of the best whiskies I've ever had, period. Rich, full, complex, old-fashioned and incredibly rewarding - the sample is only one dram's worth but I plan on nursing this one until bedtime, it's that great. Goddamn. I said Goddamn!

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