Springbank 15 Rum Wood Whisky Review!

A 15-year old Springbank that was fully matured in rum casks? Gimme gimme!

Following on from the delicious Springbank 14-year old Bourbon Wood that was released in late 2017 (reviewed here), there's a new arrival in the 'wood' range from this undeniably old-school Campbeltown distillery. There are a few differences, aside from the cask type of course, between these two bottlings. While the Bourbon Wood was fully matured in both first-fill and refill ex-bourbon barrels, this Rum Wood expression only states that it was matured in rum barrels, which means they were probably first-fill, since Springbank aren't afraid to declare if a cask was refill. The big difference though is that the Rum Wood does not seem to have been bottled at cask strength, weighing in at 51.0% ABV, while the Bourbon Wood was cask strength at 55.8%. That said, this is one very exciting malt. It was only released in August this year, so it won't be in Australia until early 2020, but I was lucky enough to trade samples with a fellow whisky geek who ordered a bottle direct from the UK. As I mentioned in that Bourbon Wood review linked above, these bottlings are a continuation of the "wood finish" range from this small Campbeltown distillery, but they've had a face-lift to bring them into line with the current Springbank packaging. This range has previously included some very exotic cask types such as Calvados (apple brandy) and Gaja Barolo (Spanish red wine) casks, among many others. So it'll be very interesting to see what comes along in future, but personally this rum cask-matured example is extremely exciting, and I've been looking forward to trying it since pictures first started appearing on social media.

Why am I so excited for this release? Well, for three reasons really. Firstly, because rum cask maturation & finishing is becoming more popular in single malts, and it seems to work! Most of the examples that I've tasted to date have been very good. Secondly, because despite having one of the most diverse ranges of exotic cask maturation & finishing, this is a first for Springbank. While they've released rum cask finished whiskies before, and there have been a few of the mysterious and elusive "cage bottlings" that were matured in rum casks, this is a standard albeit limited release that was 100% fully-matured in rum casks, and this is the first time they've done such a thing. And thirdly, because I've been lucky enough to taste one of those aforementioned Springbank cage bottlings that was matured in a second-fill rum cask, and it was completely and utterly brilliant. The dirty, funky Campbeltown spirit mixed with the funky brown sugar & tropical fruit from the rum cask created a truly brilliant whisky experience. So I have high hopes for this one! Actually, hold on, let's add a fourth reason, which is simply because I'm a huge Springbank fan, and I can't get enough of their whisky. Now you may notice that they haven't specified the type of rum casks used, or where they came from. That could be down to a few different reasons. There a may have been a mix of different casks of different origins in the vatting, or the supplier of the casks may not want those details made public, or finally that they simply don't know any specifics, other than the fact that they were rum casks. Personally I'm betting it's a mix of reason one and reason three. This situation is nothing new though, many rum cask-finished or -matured whiskies do not state which type of rum those casks previously held, or where they came from, most likely for one or more of those same three reasons.

Springbank Distillery produces three different single malts under the one roof. They are the un-peated and triple-distilled Hazelburn, and the heavily-peated (to 50-55 ppm, but don't expect an Islay-type experience) and double-distilled Longrow, and finally the namesake Springbank malt, that is distilled 2.5-times, and distilled from lightly-peated malt (peated to 15 ppm) - all of which happens at the distillery, aside from the growing of the barley itself. From malting, to milling, to mashing, fermenting and distilling, maturation and bottling, it all happens in this seemingly eclectic group of old stone buildings hidden in the middle of Campbeltown centre. Hazelburn and Longrow spirits each make up 10% of the distillery's production, with the namesake Springbank taking up the remaining 80% - and with an annual production capacity of just 750,000 litres, there really isn't that much of this precious liquid to go around. So when they manage to release 9,000 bottles of a limited bottling like this, it tends to sell out very quickly around the world. As mentioned, this whisky hasn't landed in Australia yet and from all reports it isn't expected until early 2020 (boo!), but it's essentially completely sold out in Britain and Europe already. So when it does land down under, don't expect it to last very long! So, a 15-year old Springbank that was fully matured in rum casks, before being bottled at 51.0% ABV. Being a product of Springbank Distillery of course means that it is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Very exciting, so let's get to it!

Springbank 15 Year Old Rum Wood, 51.0%. Campbeltown, Scotland.
Fully-matured in un-named rum casks, presumably first-fill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 9,000 bottles.

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Surprisingly mild to start with, white some white pepper, sweet cream cheese, a little flint and a light ashy & cold smoke. With time & warmth it becomes more typically Springbank, but none of those notes go away. The farmyard & dunnage warehouse "funk" is there, but it's definitely a milder version than usual, they're not in the forefront. There's also some red apple, menthol, and a brown sugar caramel.

Texture: Medium weight. Very oily, sweet and lightly funky. No spirit-y heat at all. 

Taste: Sweet and surprisingly light again, but it's still a Springbank. More red apple and sweet cream cheese. White pepper and cold ashy smoke again, and some rum funk shows itself - tropical fruit, old olive oil, dry grass, a little leather and flinty menthol. The earthy & funky dunnage notes are there, but they're a supporting act in this dram.

Finish: Medium length. More white pepper & sweet cream cheese, a little vanilla pod, more grassy & flinty notes. Then more ashy cold smoke, a little dry wood and more of that brown sugar caramel.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: Ah, Springbank. Is there anything they can't do? It's not as funky or dirty as I expected, but it's a very tasty whisky! While it's a lighter & sweeter style of Springbank, the typical funk is still there, although it's more subdued and in the background than you might expect from this Campbeltown staple. It's extremely well balanced too, nothing is dominant or overwhelming, and it's extremely easy drinking at 51% ABV - could this be a summer's day Springbank? I think so, and I'll gladly volunteer to test that hypothesis. As with everything that Springbank touch there's plenty of character here, and it's a nice new side to the distillery, with a lighter, more balanced and almost refreshing experience compared to the darker, dirtier and funkier examples like the 12 Cask Strength.

I'm thinking that cage bottling set me up with the wrong expectations here, because on it's own merit this is a seriously tasty whisky. The nature of those cage bottlings is that they're a one-off, and they're completely unique, so I should've known better. This Rum Wood expression should definitely be on your radar, and I can't wait for it to finally turn up in Australia.

Cheers!