Review 249. Ready for the OSWA’s, part 2: The Benchmark of Benchmarks called Springbank

Springbank 12 yo cask strength 2024 release

I think I’ve been quite clear about how I hold Springbank in very high regard throughout my years of whisky blogging. If you were to type in ‘Springbank’ or ‘Campbeltown’ in the search function at the top of this page, There’s probably half a dozen or so reviews covering either Springbank specifically or its importance not just for Campbeltown  whisky but for the whole Scotch industry.

Any given day, Springbank would always be in my top 3 of  favourite distilleries and of course singing its praise is picking of the low hanging fruit, as it indeed is considered ‘the whisky drinker’s whisky’ for good reason. This of course is corroborated by not just the clean sweep of winning the trifecta award at the OSWA’s, but also by  keeping a firm grip on the number 1 position in  the Dramface top 40 distilleries list.

And while you could of course argue that anything Springbank is overhyped and, as a consequence, often overpriced, you could also argue that any hype and the price inflation that more or less inevitably comes with it, isn’t their own doing. Rather it’s down to either flippers looking for a quick buck, or distributors and/or retailers allowing themselves a more than healthy margin, knowing it will sell regardless. I’ve had an interesting discussion about that very thing when I did a Longrow 18 review about two months back, but the good news is that there are signs that whisky, even Springbank, slowly but gradually, is coming to us – the enthusiasts. Those who tend to open, enjoy and discuss the content of those bottles rather than treat and regard them solely  as investment commodities.

 And not a moment too soon, because it’s been literally years since I managed to find a Springbank 12 yo cask strength that didn’t jump firmly into the 3 digits category where the price was concerned. If I remember correctly, the last one I managed to buy was back in 2020, and I paid just short of €70 for it back then. Now I get how that RRp will have gone up by another 20 to 30% since, and official prices are closer to around €85 or €90 these days. I’m saying this because I frankly have no idea what the official MSRP of this bottle is. For the very simple reason that since that bottle from 2020 I either never found one again or whoever was offering it expected the punter to pay roughly  50 to 100% more than MSRP. To put it mildly, I politely declined. But lo and behold: a few months ago I managed to find a Springbank 15 yo for about €95. Which, let’s be clear, is a lot of money in its own right to spend on a bottle of booze, but nowhere near the average of €150 to €200 I often saw it going for. Some 400 km south of me, my friend Greg found a Springbank 12 yo cs which was also available at MSRP, and being the generous soul that he is: I’m able to share my thoughts about it with you in this review.

Springbank 12 yo cask strength 2024 release (bottling date 9.5.2024; batch 25). 57.2% ABV, matured in 70% bourbon casks and 30% sherry casks. Sold out, secondary anywhere from €140 to €200

Nose

After pouring I immediately get a distinct leathery note, with a hint of ‘oily workshop cloth’ to it. A hint of peaty antiseptic (but indeed just a hint of it). Also: fruit! Citrus, kiwi, perhaps even a whiff of banana foam. Let it sit for half an hour with a glass cover on the lid and it evolves quite a bit. Wood polish, red ripe fruit and faint peat (but no real smoke) making for a rich, yet subtle, somewhat restrained nosing experience. There’s  a layered subtlety and complexity to it – basically everything you could hope and expect to find from a whisky with this reputation. But, there’s more: add a bit of water, about half to a full tea spoon measure  and it simply erupts with fruit notes! The kind of whisky you’d be happy to sit and nose half the evening.

Palate

Rich, full on arrival. The ABV has a bit of a bite, but nonetheless when sipped neat, I found a lot of dark fruit notes and hints of wood. There’s a dense, clinging and drying mouthfeel to it. After adding water the peat makes itself known again, as well as wood an wax/polish notes, sitting nicely against al those lush and rich fruity notes. Towards the back there’s a subtle yet clear salinity to it.

Finish

Long – very long even as it goes on for minutes, warming and spicy with pepper and salty notes.

Final thoughts

I’m so happy and grateful Greg was willing to share a sample of this precious stuff with me! I don’t think this is the best expression of SB 12 I had to date, but it is still really, really good (no scoring as this is based on a sample, but I’m pretty sure this would go high into the 80’s, possibly flirting with a 90/100). It’s also a bit of a coincidence this particular expression (the 12 yo cs, not the 2024 release per se) was nominated in the best whisky category. I was ‘fairly’ confident Springbank would make its way in the list of 6 nominees for best distillery, but I wasn’t sure their 12 yo cs would also bag the nomination. While I can’t comment on the others in the category (as I haven’t tasted all of them), the mere fact that they are mentioned means they’re all worthy and deserving of that spot. So wait and see. But regardless, make no mistake: whisky like this still will often be something many others can only aspire to. It’s a cliché the size of a house, but Springbank still sets the bar. And a high one, at that. So it’s no coincidence that those using them as an example in terms of standards of quality but also (labour)  ethos and production methods – the likes of Ardnamurchan, its sister distillery Glengyle, arguably Dornoch, Bruichladddich when talking focus on quality, Benromach in terms of flavour profile  and in terms of versatility and I’ll throw in Loch Lomond as well – are also the ones we see ‘competing’ with them, often year after year, for that ‘best distillery’ award. That’s not just me saying it, that’s thousands of enthusiasts acknowledging Springbank and its peers for doing things right.