🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

I feared it and it may really be my fault: with the exception of the Springbank 15yo Rum Wood 51% from 2019, I have never come across a Springbank matured in a rum cask that has completely convinced me. This one is no exception. It is quite easy to drink, but somehow I always expect that little bit more from Springbank that turns a very good whisky into a really good to very good one.

Fruity, slightly tropical, balanced rum influence, salty smoke.

Sulfur, metallic, roasted barley, vanilla. Doesn’t feel particularly "rum-like"—more like a heavily reused bourbon cask. Strong metallic character typical of Springbank. On the palate, tropical fruits like guava, mango, apple, and soft peach stand out, with a touch of spice appropriate for the ABV. Surprisingly long finish for a 10-year-old.

N 88 Slightly Boozy. Pineapple 5, Lychee 3, Pepper 3, Lemon 3, Milk Chocolate 3 P 89 Cream Custard 3, Dark Chocolate 4, Pineapple 4, Jackfruit 3 F 89 long. Dark chocolate 4, pineapple 3, ripe banana 4, sugar 3, aspartame 2, lime 2. Ripe banana and dark chocolate in a long line. A whisky that has a tropical fruit and sweetness unique to rum casks. The peat from Springbank was barely noticeable. A whisky that showed a style that was different from the Springbank core lineup in many ways.

It's a bit too spicy.

Tasted as part of the London Whisky Club festival tasting. I only took general notes on each whisky. *********************************** Glen Scotia 5yo, bourbon cask 3610 (WB254730) - 88 points - Lovely young bourbon with candied fresh fruit and spice. Reveals nice complexity for its age with water, tons of sweet pastry notes and coastal influence. I wasn’t at the festival, but apparently the distillery are saying they want to more young bourbon releases as they feel their wood policy has matured. I love it! Lukewarm response from the group. *********************************** Glen Scotia 7yo, first-fill ruby port (WB255096) - 87 points - Clearly a thoroughly emptied port cask, there’s no over wine influence, rather some nice malty, fruity and mineral notes. Feels like less of a character than the 5 though - still, I quite like it. Lukewarm response from the group. *********************************** Hazelburn 8yo (WB254113) - 90 points - Glorious. Beautiful candied fruits and flowers (parma violets), very much on the sour-zesty end. Super clean and fresh, lots of minerality and greenness, backed by dank earth, complex for is age. My favourite of the night, though most seemed lukewarm to it. *********************************** Kilkerran 20yo (WB254134) - 89 points - Dark and grainy (buckwheat), lots of old dirty notes (fish oil), herbal and mentholic. Water brings out mild fruits, but it’s less fruity than most people were hoping. The nose blooms like an old whisky. It’s definitely a character, the points may well be higher with more time/liquid to explore. The “active cask followed by refill cask” method widely used by brandy producers is an interesting one, and I suspect better than the opposite in most cases, if subtlety is is aim - here it seems to have integrated the whisky and the rum tightly into a murky mixture so unique, it’s hard to pin down at first contact. *********************************** Springbank hand-fill 21/05/2024 (WB255619 is the closest date added to whiskybase) - 84 points - An immature Springbank with limited development of distillery character in fruits or texture. *********************************** Springbank 10yo Fijian rum (WB254111) - 87 points - This was the most popular whisky of the night, I found it a successful experiment but not something I’d turn to often. The rum is well integrated with the distillate, but has taken over the profile completely, where is the malt whisky? Still, there’s some pleasant bready and mildly fruity aspects (banana). Water reveals more of the toasted waxy fattiness we know from the standard 10. *********************************** Springbank 9yo pinot noir (WB250625) - 84 points - The mixture of sour wine and sulphur is nightmare fuel for me, but this dram was very popular with the group, many of whom like this style - so it comes down to personal taste entirely. The only saving grace is that the underlying spirit is still incredibly characterful, with interesting earthy-mineral-waxy aspects. *********************************** Kilkerran Cage 13yo sherry (WB250539) - 90 - An incredible sherry cask, unanimously loved by the tasters. Super clean, no sulphur, extremely 3-dimensional sherry flavours mostly on the dried fruit-christmas cake-spice spectrum. A ‘bomb’, absolutely, but an excellent one. Never gets boring with its earthy-meaty aspects. *********************************** Longrow 16yo ruby port (WB254112) - 86 - Much more wine influence than the Glen Scotia. Typical overt sourness, red fruits and mustiness. Decent balance and texture, but not my style.

Taste of Springbank spirit fully exists. Rum casks taste sugarlike.

The 2017 rum cask 14yo Springbank bottling for the Edinburgh Cadenhead’s shop remains one of my favourite bottlings from Campbeltown, so I was hoping that this one might get close. On the nose I get the same Springbank peaty funk, but with a lot of extra sweetness and spice from the cask. A few drops of water helps tame things a bit, which is a good thing. The balance is better on the palate, with more of the Springbank DNA present now, where industrial elements (tar, coal and oil) mix beautifully with soft peat smoke, sea salt/salinity and some roasted coffee beans. The sweetness of the rum casks then comes rushing back, leading to a quite spicy and smoky finish. There is a bitter note that threatens to turn metallic, but pulls back at the last minute, thankfully! Definitely a different ‘take’ on Springbank then, which I feel is exactly what a festival release should offer, but it falls some way short of my long-mourned 2017 bottle. Having said that, I still very much enjoyed this dram. But…the hunt continues for a rum cask Springbank to displace the 2017 in my affections.

Springbank 10 Year Old, Fijian Rum Cask, Open Day 2024, 57.1%. 25ml sample at home, October 2024. A pale yellow with a peachy blush. Aroma has really taken on the rum esters. Pineapple and liquorice. There is a waxy and rubbery pungency to the tropical fruit. The spirit character is gone completely, and I am essentially nosing a rum here. The aroma isn’t objectively bad, but it isn’t a whisky aroma. Body has an astringency making it lighter than water. Taste has a better balance of spirit and cask (though anything would be better than 0, of course). The sweetness and fruit of the rum does bring something very different to what I’m used to from Springbank. It does sort of work on the palate. It is unbelievable that this is 57% - the alcohol barely shows itself. There’s that initial dense sweetness akin to Sauternes cask. Then the meaty Springbank character tries to rise its head above the sweet waves but keeps getting drowned out. Hints at mint throughout. The rum esters suggest subtle notes of fruit but the vibe on the palate is mostly that of a simple sugar syrup. Slightest hint of smoke at the end reminds you that you’re drinking something that might have once been a whisky. This is an interesting and quite tasty spirit. The sweetness of the cask has nearly totally swamped out the spirit, but not quite. 3.45/82

Probably the worst Genting I've ever had.

Springbank-Tasting, Still, 19.10.2024

It is advisable to put water.

just so so

On the nose: fresh apple strudel, rice pudding with a crisp topping and green pineapple. Almonds, rice cakes and a petrol residue. A delicate smokiness, butterscotch and cold ashes. Water reveals wood polish, fruit oat bar, hessian sack and pickles. In the mouth: clearly Springbank with a tropical twist. Mango, ripe apples, green roses and tartness on the finish. Salted caramel, peated honey and a gentle smokiness. Water unlocks more petrol, pine nuts, oily texture and more over ripe dunder fruits. My thoughts This is excellent. It performs exceptionally and the price is a delightful treat for those who can seize the opportunity and unveil its wonders. It’s a true crowd-pleaser that caters to various levels of experience. An ideal festival release.

Last years Springbank was quiet unusual as it was bottled in a rum barrel. There are lots of spicy notes in it. No me gusta!