The version at 46% is superb, let’s see what gives with 11 extra-degrees.
Colour: pale straw.
Nose: well, it’s Springbank. Oily, fresh, coastal, flinty, slightly farmy, grassy, lemony, porridgy… In short, big.
With water: a fisherman’s boat early in the morning after a night of fishing. Also beer, porridge and wet clothes or sheep (right, wool). Aspirin tablets.
Mouth (neat): excellent, powerful, lemony, mentholated, zesty and riesling-esque. Quite some grain as well, raw barley, pepper, even a little wasabi or horseradish. More uncompromising than some neighbours from Islay’s south coast. With water: perfect, waxy, flinty and lemony.
Finish: long, zesty ad oomphy. Very elegant.
Comments: last time we chatted with MM compadre Charlie MacLean I asked him which distillery was closest to ‘old style’ Highlands ala Old Clynelish in his view. ‘Springbank’, he replied. Unsurprisingly, he was right. When this make will be 20 years old it’ll be a crushing winner. Oh, and what an amazing improvement on the older versions of the 100 proof (circa 2004)!!! SGP:373 - 90 points.
