Springbank 12 Cask Strength 2020 & 2021 Whisky Reviews!

Not one, but two different batches of the mighty Springbank 12-year old Cask Strength. Firstly the latest release, batch 22, which was bottled in early 2021 and arrived in Australia around June, and then one (of two) that got away. Batch 21, bottled October 2020 and never imported into Australia. As much fun as this review will be, something tells me it'll also be bittersweet!

Springbank Distillery and its three whisky 'brands' have really exploded in demand over the last year or so. They've always been popular in somewhat smaller circles, but prior to around two years ago they really only had a cult following, mainly consisting of whisky nerds who loved the old-school approach and small-scale traditional production, and the old-school Campbeltown character that went along with it. But to some extent that approach, coupled with the almost-complete lack of marketing & advertising, the minimalist packaging & labelling, and the Campbeltown "funk" flavour profile that is divisive for newcomers, combined to help keep the distillery in the shadows for the larger whisky market. Back then there still wasn't enough of the limited releases to go around, even on the other side of the planet here in Australia. But the last couple of years have changed all of that. It's now becoming another name on the list of the most popular distilleries for one of the darker aspects of the modern whisky scene - flipping. That change has nothing to do with the distillery of course, who have recently done almost all they can to limit this practice - no more outer packaging (i.e. tubes or boxes) on the majority of releases, and the legendary cage bottles are now limited to one per person - which probably should have been the case a long time ago! Despite being a small company with a relatively tiny output they've also resisted any major price increases on their end, although the same cannot be said for some of their international importers & distributors. I've written more about that here - along with a review of one of the best/worst examples of this problem to date - so I won't harp on about it now. It was probably inevitable that the pandemic-induced mayhem involving the whisky market - along with a lot of 'luxury goods' - would catch on to Springbank at some point, but it's still a shame to see it hit this hard. 

While it's not really the case now, prior to that sudden explosion in demand the 12-year old Cask Strength, a.k.a. 12CS, Springbank was really the semi-hidden gem of the distillery's entire range. Typically released twice a year in relatively small batches of 9,000-12,000 bottles, with each batch varying in cask type and flavour profile, what helped keep this whisky out of the limelight is the fact that the relatively plain packaging doesn't change, and there are no batch numbers to be found on said packaging. The only way to identify the individual batches is to scour the internet armed with the bottling strength, and/or the bottling date & batch code from the back of the bottle, which will get you the answer. A few whisky pages have compiled complete lists of the batches, with this one at Brian's Malt Musings being current and handily showing the percentages of bourbon & sherry casks used in each release, although it should be noted that the ABV listed for batch 21 is incorrect - it should be 56.1% (probably a typo). 

Now if you've been following these batches here in Australia, you may have noticed that we completely missed out on both batch 19 from late 2019 (57.1%), and batch 21 from late 2020 (56.1%). Neither of those ever came to Australia, presumably because they sold out before our local importer had placed their order or confirmed their allocation, or possibly because they were waiting to fill a container or pallet to save on shipping costs, so the stock went elsewhere instead. I'm only speculating here, maybe there were other factors involved. And this does happen from time-to-time with quite a few other brands, but regardless of the reason it's always disappointing to the thirsty Australian fans. Adding salt to the wound, by many accounts the two batches that Australia missed out on are reportedly some of the greatest seen in recent years. Unfortunately batch 21 was also the only release of the 12-year old, so far, that had both burgundy wine and port casks included in the vatting, while the remainder of the last thirteen batches have stuck to the tried & true recipe of being a mix of bourbon & sherry casks. I've specified the last thirteen batches there because prior to that, from batches 1-9 (2010 to mid-2014) inclusive, the "12CS" was fully matured in sherry casks, with variation coming from the proportions of first-fill to refill. So if you have one of those early batches in your stash, you're very lucky!

The two batches of Springbank 12 that I'm reviewing today are quite different from one another. Firstly we have batch 22, the most recent release, which is a 50/50 mix of sherry casks & bourbon casks, bottled at 55.4% in April of 2021. It arrived in Australia in August, and thankfully the importer did keep the pricing at a relatively reasonable level. The second batch that I'm reviewing here is one of the two batches that unfortunately got away from us. Batch 21 was bottled in October 2020 at 56.1%, and as mentioned above is a real outlier in the 12CS line-up when it comes to the mix of the casks in the vatting. Batch 21 contained bourbon, sherry, burgundy and port casks, with the proportions being 25% bourbon, 45% sherry, 25% burgundy and 5% port casks. That's significant mainly because it's a first for the 12-year old Cask Strength, but there has been another 12-year old Springbank in the past that was fully matured in burgundy wine casks, and it was absolutely brilliant - you can read that review here if you'd like to reminisce. But it's also significant because port cask Springbanks are legendary, and extremely difficult to find. So, if this particular batch never came to Australia, how & why am I reviewing it? Well maybe I'm being a little sadistic, but I'm also punishing myself a little since I'll never get a bottle myself, and the sample for this review came from a very generous friend over the water in New Zealand. The local importer in NZ does a brilliant job of bringing them decent allocations of Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn, including limited releases and even a couple of single casks, while also keeping the pricing very low. In fact from an Australian's perspective their prices are almost criminally low in comparison! So before I actually turn green with envy, let's do this... 

Springbank 12-year old Cask Strength, 55.4%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Batch 22, bottled April 2021. 50/50 mix of bourbon & sherry casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Gold. 

Nose: Dusty, sweet & citrus-y. Quite malty & gristy, and surprisingly "fresh" in feel, but there's still that Springbank oiliness, minerality and salinity behind it. Olive oil infused with a handful of black olives, dusty & muddy farmyards, and a touch of spearmint. 

Texture: Medium weight. Very oily, malty & fresh. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Sweet salted caramel fudge, a dusty, gristy maltiness and a touch of salted honey. Olive oil, black olives and dried lemon wedges. Touches of creamy ointments & balms, but more cosmetics rather than medicine. Pinch of black pepper and subtle earthy peat behind it. 

Finish: Medium-long length. Touch of aniseed, black olives and salted caramel again. That lovely maltiness returns but it's creamy here rather than dusty or gristy. Lemon oil and a touch of earthiness to round things up. 

Score: 3.5 out of 5. But not far from a 4. 

Notes: It's certainly "cleaner" and "fresher" than most Springbank 12s on the nose, and it's also lighter on the farmyard & dunnage warehouse "funk" on the palate, but it's still very much a Springbank. Which is to say, it's still delicious! There are shades of both the venerable standard Springbank 10-year old and the brilliant 14-year old Bourbon Wood from a few years ago. That might be stemming from the higher proportion of bourbon casks in this batch compared to most, but it's also a great thing and certainly not a negative - both of those are excellent whiskies after all! Some Campbeltown diehards may look down on this batch because it's "cleaner" and less funky than the other batches of the 12, and maybe a little safer - as in, less divisive and less extreme in its flavour profile. But the level of complexity, enjoyment, and quality in this 22nd batch is no different - and certainly no lower - than the 12-year old Cask Strength always provides.  

Springbank 12-year old Cask Strength, 56.1%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Batch 21, bottled October 2020. 45% sherry, 25% bourbon, 25% burgundy wine, 5% port casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Amber. Much darker than batch 22 as you'd expect. 

Nose: Dried raspberries, some plum & blueberry, and marmite (salty yeast extract spread). Hint of burnt brown sugar caramel underneath. Really quite salty & briny too. Balsamic vinegar, burnt toast and a touch of dried Chinese mushroom. Salted honey, fatty roasted meats - pork or even duck, with dried orange and a few cloves in the pan. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily & rich, slightly fatty & greasy, and salty. No heat at all. 

Taste: Hoisin sauce, sweet & spicy, more roasted meats - still pork & duck. Fatty with dried orange and a touch of blowtorched herbs. That marmite salty & yeasty plus a touch of sticky sweet red grape & cherry with a little musty old oak. Which has me thinking that those 25% wine casks would have to be first-fill! 

Finish: Long length. Fatty & spicy, touch of fatty bacon and pork crackling. That yeasty & salty marmite again. Hoisin sauce, some roasted nuts, and honey soy sauce with more soy and less honey. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Fascinating! Alternates between a Chinese-style roast duck with soy & hoisin sauces, to a crispy and fatty pork belly with some dried orange and honey-soy sauce. But there's also that sweet grape, blueberry and plum and a touch of oak. Rich, deep & complex. It's a brilliant batch, and I almost wish it wasn't - since it's not likely that I'll ever taste it again! This 21st batch is also lighter on the peat and funk like batch 22 is compared to some, but the two are polar opposites on the Springbank 12 scale. This is a deeper, darker and more complex whisky with more cask influence, and those marmite and mushroom notes are fascinating. Like many of the good Springbanks, it's a little bit bonkers!

Overall Notes: Well, this is just typical isn't it. Australia misses out on the craziest batch of Springbank 12 Cask Strength that I've tasted! Shock horror. Is batch 19 also brilliant, like the reports said at the time? Well it certainly wouldn't surprise me! There are other batches that are on par with 21 in terms of quality, but none that I've tasted have been remotely similar to this in flavour profile. Like batch 22 it's not your typical Springbank, and it's not what you'd expect based on the experience that the more 'traditional' or more typical 70/30 sherry/bourbon cask mixes usually give. And it's delicious!

But really, there isn't much of a gap between the Springbank 12s when it comes to quality. Sure, some are better than others, and the flavour profiles vary, but even the low point is still quite high. I'm yet to taste one that I haven't enjoyed, and I doubt that I ever will. If you can get your hands on any at all in today's climate, then my advice is to do it - provided you're going to open it and enjoy it! Unfortunately the secondary market is beyond insane with anything Springbank and has been for a while, which is not likely to change while people are still buying it at these extortionate prices. Let's just hope that at least some of those buyers are actually drinking it!

Cheers!