Springbank 12 Cask Strength 55.9% Whisky Review!

The latest release, batch 23, which is the first 100% ex-bourbon cask Springbank 12 Cask Strength bottling. Like most experiences with Springbank now, this is going to be a bittersweet experience...

Sadly like most Springbank / J&A Mitchell products this may as well be unobtainium. Each tiny allocation pre-sells to a distributor's and/or retailer's VIP list, shortly followed by hundreds of the same bottles appearing on auction sites. Many retailers and also some importers & distributors have followed suit by applying extra mark-ups, sometimes of a reasonable amount but increasingly verging on the obscene. Many of these retailers / licensed flippers will receive their Springbank allocation, sell some to a few friends, and then hold the remaining stock for a few months before releasing the "extra parcel" at double the recommended pricing. The distillery itself has not increased it's pricing substantially across any of its releases, and they are doing their best to blacklist some of these retailers who are greedily trying to cash-in on the insatiable demand for anything & everything that leaves the distillery gates. But the distillery has limited jurisdiction, and none at all in international markets where their importer should be doing the same, but often isn't - or in some cases, seem to be cashing in themselves by withholding stock. J&A Mitchell have tried to calm things down by ditching the outer packaging on all but the high-end releases and reducing their supply to some markets, and also increasing the sizes of each release where possible, but there's only so much they can do. In fact that's pretty much all they can do. A small, traditional distillery like this was never capable of keeping up with such a sudden almost-vertical surge in demand. We should be thankful they aren't cutting corners, and are still producing outstanding whisky. Sadly the 12-year old Cask Strength is one of the worst hit by this insanity, most likely because it flew under the radar for so long - outside of enthusiast circles, at least. Only a couple of years ago this whisky was selling for $160-170 AUD, and stock would last for weeks rather than minutes. The usual British & European auction sites are constantly flooded with the latest batches, often commanding upwards of $280 AUD plus premium, which may seem a lot, but is only $50 more than the retail pricing here in Australia, although that doesn't include shipping and customs charges of course. As a rough guide that would equate to over $350 AUD landed here, which is just too much. As much as I personally love these whiskies, I don't think they're a viable proposition at or over $250 AUD - which probably sounds like a lot of money to those playing overseas, mainly because it is a lot of money. Sadly that's what they will be commanding soon, probably if & when the next release arrives. 

The flippers and "investors" go mental for anything first-fill sherry cask from this distillery (largely driven by colour), and they can have them, because if you ask me it's in ex-bourbon casks - whether refill or first-fill - and refill sherry casks that Springbank's character really shines. Refill sherry casks work brilliantly as well though, in fact you'd actually be hard-pressed to find a cask type that doesn't work with the three different spirits that this distillery produces; the unpeated Hazelburn, the lightly peated namesake Springbank, and the heavily peated Longrow. But most Campbeltown purists will generally lust after the refill varieties for the distillery character - in fact you could almost call it regional character in Campbeltown's case, easier than most cases since there are only three distilleries to choose from. Yes, I'm talking about the much-loved "Campbeltown funk", which ranges from pungent, dirty, oily diesel and farmyard notes down to a general oiliness and slight briny character. In reality it's more of a traditional regional style rather than a direct result of the geography or regionality, despite the local environment (microclimate & microorganisms) having some small impact it's chiefly the "old school" production methods that are responsible, from mashing & fermentation through to distillation, maturation, and even bottling at decent strengths without chill filtration or colouring. Yeast, lactobacillus, and even spirit-derived sulphur as opposed to cask-derived sulphur (see here for more information, and a great example of both types combined), have a part to play here as well. Springbank's triple-distilled Hazelburn whiskies, and also sister distillery Glengyle (producing Kilkerran whisky) and the ugly duckling of the trio Glen Scotia for that matter, don't often exhibit the same level of "funk" as Springbank and Longrow, although they do show this delicious character in different ways. Springbank's direct-fired wash still (on the left in the above photo) and it's worm tub condenser on the intermediate / first spirit still (centre in the above photo) no doubt play a part there, alongside other natural, almost alchemistic and even unknown variables. It'll be interesting to see what the town's planned new distilleries work towards in this regard, I'm sure they'll be aiming for a similarly characterful production method and flavour profile - they'd be crazy not to! 

The 12-year old has had a change of approach over the last few years, going from 100% ex-sherry cask (both first-fill & refill) maturation in the earlier releases up until 2015's Batch 10 when an average of 30% ex-bourbon casks were added into the mix. 2021's Batch 21, which was never officially imported into Australia, is still the crazy outlier in the series with some ex-port and ex-burgundy wine casks added to the vatting (reviewed here alongside the more conventional Batch 22). Now with Batch 23, bottled back in late 2021, they've gone to 100% ex-bourbon casks for the first time. In fact as far as I can recall this is the first 100% ex-bourbon cask general release (not a Society bottling or a single cask) Springbank that we've seen since the outstanding 14-year old Bourbon Wood from late 2017. I can't find any word on the proportions of first-fill and refill casks in this latest release of the 12-year old, which is something Springbank hasn't disclosed since they moved away from 100% ex-sherry maturation in these releases over seven years ago. Based on smell & taste though I'm guessing there's a good chunk of refill bourbon casks in there, which is certainly no bad thing. Cask strength in this twenty-third batch is 55.9% ABV, and it is of course non-chill filtered and natural colour. This was the first of the 12 Cask Strength to skip the outer packaging, which doesn't seem to have slowed the flippers & speculators yet, but let's hope it does in future. I was lucky enough to get this bottle for the Australian RRP, almost a year ago now, and it'll probably be the last 12 Cask Strength that I get my hands on for the foreseeable. Stand by for another bittersweet whisky moment...

Springbank 12-year old Cask Strength, 55.9%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Batch 23, bottled late 2021. Matured in 100% ex-bourbon casks, presumably first-fill & refill. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Medium gold. 

Nose: Malty, mineral, slightly minty. Lovely dry maltiness, coastal minerality (i.e. damp & muddy rockpools), silent machine shop. Touches of fresh orange, tinned peach juice, and red apple. Spearmint around the edges. Tangy malt vinegar & oily brine (think salt & vinegar seasoning), hint of fresh green chilli. Earthy & musty dunnage warehouse, and salted white fish. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily, malty, dry, fruity, salty. Bang on. Slight heat but no complaints here. 

Taste: Golden malt biscuits, tangy malt vinegar, clean machine oils, and sweet citrus. Flashes of herbal honey & vanilla bean. Tinned peach juice, white pepper, lemon, oily brine. Touches of smoked white fish, lanolin (sheep's wool oil), and damp hessian. 

Finish: Long length. Gentle earthy smoke behind more tinned peach juice, golden malt biscuits, and pickling brine. Earthy, musty dunnage "funk", like an old barn. Spearmint & dried grapefruit around the edges. Browning (oxidising) red apples, gristy maltiness & clean oils to finish. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5.  

Notes: Yes, I'm afraid it's excellent. But that's not really a surprise, is it? It's quite a challenge to find a Springbank 12 Cask Strength that is anything less than great. Batch 23 is certainly "cleaner" in style than most of its predecessors, but that's not a surprise either given the 100% bourbon cask maturation. And it's not a criticism by any means. We're dialling back the dirty, sulphurous & eccentric notes, but dialling up the maltiness and brighter fruitiness instead, and giving that beautiful characterful spirit a better chance to shine. There are flashes of the brilliant 14-year old Bourbon Wood here in this 12-year old, but I suspect this one has more of a refill cask component than that special release did back in 2017. As great as the exotic cask types can be from this distillery, there's always a slight element of risk there. Which is not the case with their bourbon cask releases. I just don't think you can go wrong with that combination! I did warn you this would be bittersweet...

I'm sure there'll be some groaning at that score. I know people are frustrated at the lack of availability of Springbank, and at the constant flipping and profiteering from both "retailers" and secondary resellers. But this is not the fault of the distillery, they're largely doing what they've always done; focussing on making good whisky. They haven't even increased their pricing substantially, beyond covering the increases in their own costs. So as Roy from Aqauvitae pointed out recently, why shouldn't Springbank still receive praise for their outstanding work? They're still making brilliant whisky without cutting any corners, and they're doing everything they can (which isn't much) to mitigate the insane demand from the price-gougers and the flippers. So yes, it's nigh-on impossible to get for a reasonable price, and the stock & allocation situation is still dire. But whiskies of this quality always deserve to be praised, regardless of where they came from or how easy they are to buy. 

Here comes the bitter part. This whisky is not worth the $400-600 AUD that some greedy "retailers" are attempting to get for it in Australia. If you can get it for a reasonable price, i.e. close to the RRP, then go for it. That's where the value is. But if you can't do that, then you may have to settle for a dram in a bar, or you may have to confront the FOMO head-on and just let it go. And I'm talking to myself here as well. The more people are willing to do that, the more chance we have of this insane situation starting to correct itself, or at least slowing down. That's the only way things are going to change. If we keep feeding the flipping machine, they won't. 

Cheers!