Whisky: Springbank 26 Year (1996), Whisky Sponge Special Edition

Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV: 53.5%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Butt

Age: 26 Years (Distilled 1996, Bottled 2023)

Nose: Rich stewed fruits and leather, black vinegar, melon rind, notions of a struck match head or sulfur with an earthy undercurrent, dark roasted coffee, new shoes, hints of tangerine and licorice in the background.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily and a touch waxy, dirty and fruity, motor oil and mud masks, cured orange rind, black vinegar, burning candle wicks and struck match-heads with mellow muddy sulfur, black cherries and mellow notions of melon rind and licorice.

Finish: Long and lingering with tart cherries, earth, and leather.

Score: 7-8

Mental Image: Mud Masks and Fruit Platters

Narrative & Notes: The sultry tones of early 2000s Christina Aguilera played in my head, “If you ain’t dirty, you ain’t here to party,” as I raised this whisky to my nose and then took a sip. As Christina explained, it was incredibly dirty, filthy even, and certainly here to party. A sensitivity to sulfur might make this a party invitation worth declining, but I do not mind a funky riot of flavors. The aroma and palate hewed closely to one another with layers of leather, earth, motor oil, black vinegar, and matches. There was a bit more upfront fruit on the nose and candle wick or mud mask on the palate, but they were reasonably similar— even in their hints of melon rind and licorice.

I rarely look up other reviews before I enjoy a whisky, so I came into this expecting something mellow and complex. I was a bit stunned at what I found instead, and as soon as I thought I had a good grip on my notes, I quickly searched to see if others had found something similar or if my taste buds were having a bender.  It turns out I was not alone, and I was not alone in rather enjoying the dirty, not terribly Springbank-like, mature malt.

Overall, not your standard Springbank fare.

Image Credit: Decadent Drinks

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