Every time the Springbank 12 Cask Strength comes out I forget to get myself a bottle. Luckily with this newest release, Koen K. from of RareVintageWhisky.nl sent me a sample for reviewing.
Pro: I get to try it after all
Con: I regret buying a bottle even more
And yes, that is a massive spoiler to where the rating is going to end up, but I don’t think anyone will be surprised by where this is going anyway. These bottlings are hugely popular and have never scored below expectations as far as I know.
This time, the whisky is a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, with the bourbon casks making up 70% of the mix. The bottling was released a few months ago but has sold out almost everywhere, except locations that deal in older bottlings. This also means prices vary wildly, but expect to pay a little north of € 150/160 for this now.
Sniff:
Quite crisp with some dried peaches and black pepper. Some clove too, with a hint of vanilla. Slightly funky with a note of hessian. Rather clean for a Springbank. With some time and air it gets more dirty and oily.
Sip:
The palate arrives rather gently and does build up a bit but not as much as I expected. Massively funky with hints of hessian and moldy basements. Old bread, grains and dried fruits like peaches and some raisins.
Swallow:
The finish is a bit more clean. Some blackberries and peaches. Hessian, old wood and some dirt. A rather big finish.
It’s a very typical Springbank bottling with lots of funky notes combined with a maritime edge and a whiff of smoke. This being a very typical Springbank also means it’s very typically awesome. Highly recommended stuff that punches well above it’s original price point. It’s not going to be easy to find something that’s significantly better than this at the € 165 it’s going for at RareVintageWhisky.nl.
89/100
Malt Fascination 