Springbank 10 Year Old

For my first venture into the Springbank range I thought I’d start with the standard 10 year old. Lightly peated and 2 and half times distilled, this is matured 60:40 in bourbon and sherry casks respectively.

Nose - Bonfire smoke, decomposing leaves, humus, hint of mushrooms, pine needles, pine nuts and old leather, brine, sea salt, malt vinegar and cider vinegar, then something light and fruity in the background – lime zest, pickled ginger, Fox’s glacier mints.

Taste - Initially sweet and light, juicy ripe pears, cider vinegar, cooking apples, lime zest, developing into pine needles. Then comes a sweetness of brown sugar and caramel, cooling mint, humbugs, along with a mid-palate peat hit with damp wood, Autumn leaves, before becoming sharp and spicy with pickled ginger, cardamom, mace.

Finish - Slightly sweet and herbal. Loads of cardamom, also nutmeg and cinnamon spice, cedar wood, jasmine tea, earl grey tea, green tea and lots of sea salt.

My wife says “it smells like pirates”. It’s not the most objective tasting note, granted, but I can see where she’s coming from, and I felt it was worthy of a review title! It’s complex and very interesting, just a touch harsh and austere in places, making it not quite the go to whisky in my cabinet that I expected.

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