Springbank 13 Year (1999), Whiskykanzler Cask 307
Whisky: Springbank 13 Year (1999), Whiskykanzler Cask 307
Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown
ABV: 57.1%
Cask: Rum Barrel
Age: 13 Years (Distilled 8 Oct. 1999, Bottled 22 May 2013)
Nose: Tropical citrus and fruit curd with cream, salt, vanilla, annatto, and wispy tobacco smoke.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, maritime with citrus, driftwood, wispy tobacco smoke, subtle earth and metallic notions.
Finish: Medium-length with citrus, pepper, salt, and wood.
Score: 7
Mental Image: Magnum PI on Beach Patrol
Narrative & Notes: With the aroma, I felt like I had stumbled into Waikiki beach circa the 1980s— cigarette smoke lingered in the air with a hint of menthol and something danker. Old wood and hot plastic sat behind big notes of tropical citrus and bright fruit curd— passion fruit and mango— which was piped inside fried pastries or served alongside creamy custard and ice cream. Vanilla and floral annatto sometimes appeared with a deep vein of beachy brine. Medium-bodied and oily, maritime brine and citrus arrived with driftwood, rusted iron, tobacco smoke, and musty earth in the background. Salty sea breezes and citrusy margaritas promised a party, though an undercurrent of old dried-out wood, metallic rusted iron, and old synthetic fabrics whispered that the good old days were long gone. Tobacco smoke, driftwood, and dank earth with desiccated palm debris lingered in the background with more subtle lime or yuzu citrus. The finish was medium-length with citrus, pepper, salt, and wood.
A beautiful coastal affair, this occasionally felt more like a Longmorn than a Springbank with an elevated phenolic tickle and constant wispy smoke trails. The rum cask was present, lending the citrus a tropical twist but never quite rising out of the background in a noticeable way. I assume this was a fairly mild rum, as it felt nothing like some of the more intense rum maturations I have encountered.
Overall, a real delight with a certain old-school vibe— though more aesthetic than flavor.
About Springbank
Characterful and distinctive; the robust younger spirit transforms into mellow coastal meadows with a soft tropical aesthetic over the decades. Popular and expensive, the high quality of the malt has vastly been outstripped by the secondary prices at which it sells.
The titan of Campbeltown, Springbank Distillery, began operations in 1828 and maintains a lot of old-school tradition in production, from in-house floor malting of barley to a mix of direct oil-fired stills and worm tub condenser. Yet, for a producer with a reputation for an old-fashioned approach to whisky production, the brand has been a trendsetter through its diversification into retail and bottling operations (no surprise that many independent bottling companies now have their own distilleries) and its focus on nurturing its reputation as a single malt.
The current strength of the Springbank brand owes a lot to its visibility as a single malt and its status as a forerunner to the trend among scotch consumers for displays of brand loyalty. Hence, even core products from the distillery sell out quickly and can be hard to find. Production at the distillery can barely keep up with the demand. That will likely continue as the distillery only operated at about 20% in 2020 and only produces about 200,000 liters of Springbank per annum. The barley used for Springbank is malted on site, peated between 12-15 ppm, fermented for ~100 hours, and distilled 2 ½ times.
Style: Maritime, Metallic, Citrus, Subtle Coconut/Tropical Elements
