Springbank Aged 12 Years Cask Strength

Style: Fruity and Smoky

Rating: ☆ [Recommended]

Nose:

Splendid mix of pear drops and rhubarb, apricot Danish, dried fruits with just a wee bit of hay smoke. A rather sweet entrance. Just as the sweetness is starting to overload, chili spice steps in and supports the structure. Vanilla pods, five spices and more peat gradually unravel. Stewed fruits and agar agar rounding up silkily at the back.

Palate:

Begins with stewed fruits, a more powerful spice strikes and you can certainly feel the harshness on the palate. Liquorice roots, toffee, pear drops and cream running on a hot steam pipe... Another peppermint surge, followed by chocolate-coated citrus, coconut and barley. Mineral, oak and pencil shavings set in to leave a bitter tail.

Finish:

Chocolate eclairs served with a nice piece of dark chocolate. Sweet pear leaving a lingering note, cornflakes and barley holding up till the end.

Thoughts:

In my book, a 12 years old Springy bottled at 50.3% is hardly a cask strength whisky, nevertheless the expression does carry a certain zing, a mild cask strength I guess? Rough around the edges with the alcohol and oak, but there is a good vibrancy to it. Profile-wise it is a classic Springbank distillate - fruity, smoky and rich, a decent everyday dram.

[50.3% | Original Bottling | Regular Release | circa 2013 | Non Colouring | Non Chill Filtered | *]

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