Whisky: Springbank 14 Year for Netherlands “Jazz Edition”

Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV: 56%

Cask: Cream Sherry Butt

Age: 14 Years (Bottled 2010)

Nose: Rich baking spices, dark chocolate, and chicory-spiced coffee; mellow earth with a sulfurous tinge— mud masks and spa treatments, hints of citrus, cherry coffee cake, and dried figs.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, dirty, motor oil and dirty shop rags, earth with a touch of sulfur; dark chocolate and berries further in with hints of lemon zest; more leather and shoe polish at the end with coffee cake and new tires.

Finish: Medium to long and slightly drying with earth, leather, rubber, and motor oil.

Score: 6-7

Mental Image: Mad Max’s High School Shop Class

Narrative & Notes: Dirty— if I had not cited Christina Aguilera’s “Dirty” in another review this week, I would certainly do so here. I had no idea there were so many dirty, slightly sulfurous, and rubbery Springbank out there.  Considering the cream sherry butt maturation, I expected something sweeter with more of the metallic Springbank character— not a trip to the auto garage or a detour to an old spa specializing in mud masks and hot springs.

I am a bit divided over this as the flavors were unique and interesting, even well-composed for anyone not overly sensitive to sulfur or motor oil notes, but not the sort of thing I would grab off the shelf often.  An interesting vegetal quality stood out at times— almost like a roasted and slightly burnt broccoli or cauliflower.  I could see myself craving this odd combination, but a bottle like this is better shared and poured with friends as a conversation piece— it will surely get people talking and be a bit divisive.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer

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