Springbank 12 Year (c. 1970s Black Ceramic Jug)
Whisky: Springbank 12 Year (c. 1970s Black Ceramic Jug)
Country/Region: Scotland/Campbeltown
ABV: 43%
Cask: Oak
Age: 12 Years
Nose: Soft and gentle, maritime and industrial, tarry ropes, slightly antiseptic, shrimp trawlers, mineral, lanolin, newspaper, herbal in the background.
Palate: Light-bodied, herbal and meaty, mint, slightly maritime, lanolin and tobacco, musty, newspaper and glossy magazines.
Finish: Long with tangy mint, film processing chemicals, and tobacco.
Score: 8-9 (91)
Mental Image: Liminal Hallways of Framed Memories
Narrative & Notes: Gentle and mellow, impressions of a harbor at night— the faded aroma of diesel engines, tarry ropes, minty antiseptic solution, and charred wood. Shrimp trawlers and fishnets at rest faded as mineral oils, canvas, and woolly lanolin developed; was it just a framed painting of a harbor? More fried basil leaves, old newspaper, and herbal oregano lingered in the background— hints of a pizza parlor perhaps. Light-bodied with notions of mint jelly, roasted lamb, and an herbal bouquet of oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Faded memories of shrimp trawlers and greasy shop rags touch on the palate alongside some chewing tobacco and musty lanolin— something akin to the aroma I recall in my grandmother’s kitchen, mixing with the woolen jackets, glossy National Geographic magazine pages, and tobacco of my grandfather. The finish was surprisingly long with tangy mint, chemicals for processing a film negatives, and a touch of tobacco.
Deeply nostalgic— I would pour this every day if I could. I barely knew how to score it and it reminded me a lot of a 1930s White Horse I tried back in 2022, especially those faded shrimp trawler notes. I would also pour that whisky everyday if I could. Though I awarded it no score, because how could you possibly give something like that a reasonable score, I reckoned it was something around an 8-9 and this was much the same.
Overall, loaded with vintage malt notes that feel much less common today, this was everything I wanted and more from a 1970s Springbank. There were hints of the modern distillery style, but considering changes in barley and yeast, it was no surprise that the end product drifted in different directions. I loved the composition and appreciated that it was nothing like some of the more recent cask dominant releases.
