Springbank 10yo 2023 Release
Official Bottling | 46% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
For someone who doesn’t do permashelf, this is the exception to the rule
Not For Beginners?
Even though there might be some truth to it, I’m not at all sure if I actually like the saying that Springbank is ‘the whisky drinker’s whisky’.
It sort of implies a certain exclusivity, or inner circle code which reeks a bit of snobbery when it comes to how and what we should enjoy as our poison of choice. Overall I gravitate more towards the idea that the best whisky is the whisky you like to drink right now, any way you like to drink it – or whatever it is the guys from Whiskey Tribe tend to say. And while I’d be absolutely horrified if I saw someone reaching for something like an AnCnoc 24 year old whilst opening a can of Dr. Pepper, as long as they do it to their own whisky, who am I to say they’re ‘doing it wrong’? Des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas, after all.
So stating that Springbank, or any other whisky, is the one to separate the in-crowd from the outsiders, is really nonsense. In fact, I know a few people (or I’ve at least heard about them) who’re really into their whisky but aren’t really that bothered about the gem from Campbeltown. In a way, and this applies to me first and foremost, you might say Springbank can indeed be quite an acquired taste, an appetite one needs to work one’s way towards.
I distinctly remember when I first tried Springbank, at a whisky festival just over a decade ago. As it happens, it was also the first ever whisky festival I attended, and this eager young padawan had done his homework. After being adamant for a good decade that peat and smoke was all there was to it when talking whisky, I had since seen the errors of my ways and was keen to discover and embrace what else there was apart from the likes of Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
Checking in advance which brands and distilleries would attend the festival, I had neatly written down the ones I was desperate to try. Topping my list that day was the Campbeltown distillery. If there’s one thing I cherish (and miss) about my early days of whisky exploring, it’s probably the ability to go about being unbiased, experiencing nothing but the joy and excitement that comes with discovering something new and delightful. The only thing was: that day, Springbank 10 (as that was the one I tried), didn’t really excite me. Or to put it more correctly; it didn’t live up to the expectations.
I don’t know what I was expecting exactly – probably some sort of tastegasm where my senses would explode by the sheer magnificence of aroma and flavour, or something. More than anything, it reminded me of a more expensive (even then) Benromach; a distillery I had just recently ‘discovered’ and was quite enamoured with (and still am, for the record).
While of course it was absolutely decent whisky, I just didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Dunning-Kruger much? Hindsight obviously suggests that back then my palate just wasn’t ‘experienced’ enough to really appreciate the subtleties and nuances Springbank can offer. But also knowing and accepting that the one thing I knew for sure was that I knew nothing at all. And it indeed was merely a matter of time before I too caught up and Springbank, in all its various shapes and sizes, has become a firm favourite since.
Review
Springbank 10yo, 2023 Release, Bottle code 2.11.2023, bourbon and sherry cask matured, 46% ABV
€68 (£60) paid
What I also remember from that first ever whisky festival is that, apart from returning home with a fondness for old Pulteney 17yo, Amrut and Port Charlotte, it confirmed to me that I had just explored the very tip of the iceberg. Depending on who you ask, attending a whisky festival was either one of the best, or one of the worst, decisions of my life.
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
For someone who doesn’t do permashelf, this is the exception to the rule
Nose
A slightly dirty-farmy sweetness with an oiliness of vanilla, varnish and wax to things. Sweet apples countered by a touch of salt, green berries, a whiff of strawberries even, leaning into a bubble-gum note. Grassy – both wet grass and dry hay-like notes – with a lemony freshness to it. All these contrasting notes work like a charm. Delightful!
Palate
Fresh arrival, immediately followed by a mellow but distinct and warm, earthy peat note with a touch of smoke. The texture delivers a vanilla, oily-like viscosity, which tingles the tongue. Some salinity mixed in with fresh fruity sweetness - like salted apples again but also salted caramel. A whiff of wood and some bitter chocolate and to close the deal again that grassy-hay note which then dives into a warming, earthy peaty-woody finish. Excellent!
The Dregs
It’s both easy and dangerous to take this for granted. But when you stop and consider what it offers, it’s almost ridiculous just how good this stuff is. It’s so layered and complex, and all the flavours are just wonderfully integrated and balanced. The peat, while still subtle, warming and mellow , is quite clear in this batch. It’s basically laying a foundation for the other flavour compounds to build on.
Overall, it’s busy, but never loud or in your face, and the development and texture are absolutely flawless. As you might have guessed, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this bottle, as I do with a lot of Springbank releases.
While I haven’t seen the likes of Springbank 15 or 12 cs below €100/£100 in my area for at least three years, the top notch quality of their core range 10yo really helps soften that blow. I do count myself to be among the lucky ones who actually still have access to this at acceptable prices, and while I don’t stock up, I do tend to replace it whenever I finish one, because you never know how much a good thing will last. As it said in the TL;DR, I don’t tend to have a permashelf selection of whiskies, but this really is the exception to the rule.
Having said that, it’s also clear how this love affair wasn’t exactly a case of love at first sight. Springbank, just like its sister distillery Glengyle and also probably not unlike Glencadam, Glendronach, Ardnamurchan and about half a dozen others, simply need a bit of experience or getting used to. They are perhaps just not ‘beginner friendly’ whiskies.
Malts such as these that bring us layered profiles and complexity can be an acquired taste. I do feel that those qualities and traits that make many of us fall for these whiskies, aren’t always clear and obvious for those just dipping their toes into the whisky pool. But, again, this is based on my own personal experience and journey, as when you do I feel the reward is definitely there. To me, it came in the form of one particular limited release (the Springbank 14 yo bourbon wood they released in 2017) which - hyperbole incoming - was a bit like Neo finally being able to look right through the Matrix.
I’m obviously exaggerating here a bit, but that bottle really felt as if a veil covering my eyes (and nose, and tongue) was lifted, allowing me access to something that was kept a secret until then. It was nothing short of magical and to this day probably one of the best Springbanks (and whiskies in general) I’ve ever had. And while of course releases like that are becoming quite unobtanium (I just checked my data: I paid about €86 / £72 for it back then – these days it’s roughly six times more expensive - sobs in silence), rest assured that their ‘regular’ releases like this 10 year old are quite capable of delivering that revelatory moment too.
The fact that I’m paying now for these 10 year olds what I used to pay for their 12yo Casks Strength releases takes nothing away from it. If you argue that near or north of €70 is expensive for a 10 year old whisky, you are, of course, absolutely right. But if you put this up against other bottles within this price range, I will also argue that this will take the shine off of many of its ‘peers.’ This continues to be excellent stuff and there’s no two ways about it.
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. EA
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