Time to deal with the recent OBs, then I’ll get to Campbeltown festival stuff.
Springbank 12 years old, Burgundy cask, 53.5% A⊕
The (very) recent Burgundy Springbank.
Nose - Dark, slightly dirty, earthy with cherry pipe tobacco and vanilla prunes. A fresh clod of earth, rain and mushrooms. A complex, slightly alien nose. Some kind of parallel dimensional twin of Springbank? More mineral with water, a little more refreshing.
Body - Soft red wine, clay, sulphur (retronasal cabbage). Really soft and deep though, absolutely delicious. Less exciting with water but lots of chocolate and a quick zing of struck flint spices it up.
Finish - Big red wine tannins, parallel running spice and toffee - very long. Sealing wax at the end, neat, and coffee burps. Ripe peach with water.
Surprisingly weird (and dirty) from Springbank as an OB this. But I like it!
Springbank 16 years old, Sherry cask, 54.2% A⊖
This one caused all the furore when it couldn't be bought by everyone who wanted it. Remember, there is infinity of whisky…
Nose - Surprisingly, this is even dirtier than the Burgundy. Deep chocolate, vinegar and a few structural problems with sulphur. But that sweet complexity, rain washed granite and fresh orange lift you up…
Body - Long, nutty Oloroso sherry cask. Cabbage on exhale, but beautiful sweetshop tones on inhale. Lovely minerality with water but still messing with the cabbage
Finish - Long, oaked and quite sulphured. This may be challenging to some but just - just - holds it together (the difference between A and C is slight here).
This one flirts a little too hard with dirty to be a winner in my eyes, but as we all know sulphur tolerance is genetic and your mileage will vary.
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