Springbank Distillery
Address : Springbank Distillers Ltd, 85 Longrow, Campbeltown, Argyll, PA28 6EX
Telephone No : 01586 552009
Web Site : www.SpringbankWhisky.com
Visitors Centre : Yes
Springbank Distillery is unique. It is the oldest independent family owned distillery in Scotland. Founded in 1828 on the site of Archibald Mitchell's illicit still, the Springbank Distillery is now in the hands of his great great great grand son, Hedley G. Wright.
Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to carry out the full production process on the one site. 100% of the traditional floor malting, maturation and bottling is done at the distillery in Campbeltown. It produces the most hand made whisky in Scotland, with traditional production methods being used throughout the process, and human involvement at each and every stage. It is the only distillery in Scotland to have never chill-filtered, nor do we add any artificial colourings to any of our single malts. It is the only distillery in Scotland to produce three different single malts, Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn, using three different production methods.
Here is a selection of whiskies produced at the Springbank Distillery:
Springbank 10 Y/O 100 Proof
This is Springbank in its purest form. Matured predominately in American oak casks, and bottled at 57% ABV, the character of the distillery is laid before you in all it's naked glory.
Nose : Dried apricots, ginger, buttery toffee and marzipan.
Palate: Sweet oak, very full bodied, malty and rich. Honey and wood.
Finish: Lingering sweetness complimented by a hint of smoke.
Springbank CV 70cl 46% ABV
Springbank CV is the product of a variety of different cask types and sizes, all specially selected by Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson. Frank and Stuart's years of experience allowed them to choose a range of casks, every one complementing the other to ensure a great whisky with lots of flavour and the classic Springbank style.
What does CV mean? Chairman's Vat? Currriculum vitae? Curvee of Vintages? It means whatever you want it to mean, enjoying the whisky is the most important thing.
Nose: The initial nose is a mix of subdued sherry sweetness, subtle peat notes, menthol and eucalyptus. Further nosing revealed a meaty character with complex hints of sesame oil and soy sauce.
Palate: Subtle sherry notes come through along with a depth of oak and spice. These then evolve into notes reminiscent of our traditional Dunnage warehouses.
Finish: The flavours remaining are mainly coming from the sherry casks, although right at the end a hnt of port tannins can be detected, perhaps suggesting the pedigree of casks used for the Springbank CV.
Springbank CV is the product of a variety of different cask types and sizes, all specially selected by Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson. Frank and Stuart's years of experience allowed them to choose a range of casks, every one complementing the other to ensure a great whisky with lots of flavour and the classic Springbank style.
What does CV mean? Chairman's Vat? Currriculum vitae? Curvee of Vintages? It means whatever you want it to mean, enjoying the whisky is the most important thing.
Nose: The initial nose is a mix of subdued sherry sweetness, subtle peat notes, menthol and eucalyptus. Further nosing revealed a meaty character with complex hints of sesame oil and soy sauce.
Palate: Subtle sherry notes come through along with a depth of oak and spice. These then evolve into notes reminiscent of our traditional Dunnage warehouses.
Finish: The flavours remaining are mainly coming from the sherry casks, although right at the end a hnt of port tannins can be detected, perhaps suggesting the pedigree of casks used for the Springbank CV.
Springbank 15 Y/O 70cl 46% ABV
100% sherry cask. Like a storm gathering of the Kintyre coast, dark and ominous, yet tastes so good. The richness comes from the high percentage of sherry casks used in maturation. This is a truly classic Springbank, best enjoyed after dinner, or with your favourite cigar.
Nose : Sherry, dark chocolate, christmas cake, almonds, toffee and oak.
Palate: Creamy, raisins, dark chocolate, figs, marzipan, brazil nuts and vanilla.
Finish: Oak and sherry notes sustain, mingling with hints of leather.
Springbank 12Y/O cask strength 70cl 54.6% ABV
Matured: 60% fresh sherry hogsheads 40% refill sherry butts - Colour: Golden Straw
Nose: Very rich and lush with strong toffee and caramel notes to begin with. The nose then develops to really thick treacle with heavy notes of marmalade. This whisky has a really "meaty" nose with some hints of cinnamon and smoke.
Palate: An amazingly full bodied whisky, rich with a thick and oily texture. It has a very rich taste of oranges, tangerines and clementines as well as a hint of cocoa.
Finish: Sweet and very rich, long finish with a hint of smoke.
Springbank 2001 Vintage 70cl 55.3% ABV
Nose: Malty, summer fruits. Hints of citrus, lemon meringue pie. Buttery toffee, confectionery and just a hint of spice.
Palate: Wow! What an excellent burst of flavour. Rich and creamy. Honey, vanilla, butterscotch sauce and tropical fruits.
Finish: Smooth with slight hints of smoke and salt. Is this whisky really only eight years old? The small cask maturation has given the whisky a maturity and wisdom well beyond its years.
Springbank Claret Wood 70cl 54.4%ABV
Matured: 7yrs refill bourbon, 3yrs fresh claret, 2yrs re-charred casks - Colour: Mahogany
Nose: At first thick and rich syrup nose with notes of honey, fruits, figs and dates. Strong notes of fizzy cola bottles and winegums. A small hint of varnish towards the end.
Palate: A fantastically fruity and sweet dram. Despite a thick oily nose it is surprisingly light on the palate, caramel sweet but with a nice reminder of salt. It gives away notes of sweet apple tart.
Finish: A long fruity whisky that leaves you with a light, dry flavour of chilli peppers on your lips.
A big thank you to the Springbank Distilleries own web site, www.SpringbankWhisky.com for most of the information and images on this page. For more information and a chance to buy some of their excellent whisky click on the link above.