Yes, more unobtainable Springbank. Two, in fact, both bottled in 2021. So I apologise in advance! Also, don't skip the bonus round on this one folks.
The previous release of Springbank Local Barley was controversial. Mainly because of the ridiculous pricing brought on by secondary market stupidity, which was due to a) it being the first 100% sherry cask matured Local Barley release, and b) the colour, and c) timing (covid madness). But beyond that it was controversial because it was dominated by the sherry casks, which almost defeated the purpose of making a local barley whisky in the first place. I say "almost" because it was still a great whisky, but the character of the barley itself wasn't there. Unfortunately many local importers and retailers were watching those secondary prices and took advantage when their own allocations landed. But I'm not going to make this review another rant about price gouging importers & retailers, because I've already covered that in the review of said 10-year old sherry cask. Thankfully this more recent release, bottled in December 2021 and arriving in most markets in 2022, was slightly better-priced here in Australia. The RRP on this latest 10-year old was $299 AUD, which is still a ridiculous price compared to what was generally paid overseas, and yes, many retailers still decided to take advantage on top of that. Allocations were tiny again when the shipment landed in early 2023, and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Some fair & reasonable Australian retailers decided to use a ballot system this time around, which if you ask me both the importer and the resellers should be doing every time the Springbank stock comes in. But enough of all that, the distillery is doing all they can - apparently even sending warning letters to the less-scrupulous retailers - and they cannot be blamed for any of this. Their main concern is to continue making excellent whisky, just as it should be. So let's move on.
This late-2021 bottling of Springbank Local Barley is actually the fourth 10-year old in the series so far, all distilled from barley grown on the Kintyre Peninsula within a few miles of Campbeltown, which is then floor-malted and lightly-peated at the distillery. Each of these 10-year old releases have consisted of a different mix of casks; the 2017 57.3% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 70% ex-bourbon and 30% ex-sherry casks, then the 2019 56.2% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 77% ex-bourbon, 20% ex-sherry and 3% ex-port casks, and the aforementioned 2020-2021 55.6% ABV bottling (reviewed here) was 100% ex-Oloroso sherry casks. This time around though, like the latest 12-year old Cask Strength that I reviewed recently, the 2021-2022 release was fully-matured in ex-bourbon casks. I've always preferred my Springbank to be ex-bourbon cask, or at least majority ex-bourbon cask, so I have absolutely zero complaints there, and nor should any real fans of the distillery. Hazelburn & Longrow too, for that matter. Ex-bourbon casks, particularly with both first-fill and refill casks involved, give the spirit character the best chance to show us what it can do. Never mind the damn colour, people!
This 2021 bottling / 2022 release is the largest batch of Local Barley that Springbank has ever released, consisting of 15,000 bottles, where the rest of the contemporary releases have numbered in the 8,500-9,000 range. It also has the lowest ABV to date at 51.6%, excluding a couple of the mythical 1960s vintage bottlings which were released around the turn of the century. I can't find any official word on whether or not this ABV was the natural cask strength, and given the higher number of bottles this time around it would make sense if they'd reduced it slightly. It's safe to say that there'd be no notable loss of flavour if that was the case, and if it makes the whisky more available then I'm all for it (just don't go all the way down to 46%, please). Then again it's close enough to still be natural cask strength, the 11-year old release was only 53.1%, which funnily enough was also from 100% ex-bourbon casks. So who knows. More importantly, as with everything Springbank and J&A Mitchell release it's natural colour and non-chill filtered. Even more importantly, let's find out what it smells & tastes like! The sample for this review was donated by a generous friend over in New Zealand.
Distilled 05/2011 from Belgravia barley grown on Kintyre Peninsula, matured in 100% ex-bourbon casks (both first-fill and refill), bottled 12/2021. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 15,000 bottles.
Colour: Mid-gold.
Nose: Malty, acidic (sour) & sweet, in that order. Dusty, dry, gristy (floury) malted barley. Pickled onions, and apple cider vinegar. Sweet liquorice, and runny honey. Sea salt too. Touch of clean sewing machine oil, and gentle, powdered, earthy peat.
Texture: Medium weight. Malty, honeyed, much less acidic here. No heat.
Taste: More golden malted barley, less gristy / floury here. Thick rich honey, with olive brine behind. Hint of sourdough bread behind that. Touches of the pickled onion & apple cider vinegar but they're in the background now. Vanilla cream & sweetened lemon juice too.
Finish: Medium length. Hefty pinch of sea salt, touch of icing sugar. That earthy peat comes through more strongly here, with a touch of hay barns & dirt floors. Sweetened lemon again, and peppercorns. Malty & earthy to the end.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Cleaner & less complex than some of the earlier releases, a little lighter too. But no less tasty. The casks have been very well-mannered, there's no bucketfuls of over-sweetened vanilla custard or sweet coconut here, and the malty & citric spirit character is front & centre. What isn't front & centre though is the "funky", "foosty", musty dunnage notes that we Springbank fans adore. In fact it's hardly here at all, save for that slight hint in the finish, and it's not as mineral as I expected either. The salty & earthy notes are still there though, alongside the gristy / malty and citric notes. The things that we all look for in an ex-bourbon dram from Campbeltown, with an extra dose of sourness / acidity.
So, like I said in the latest 12-year old Cask Strength review, if you managed to get one of these at the RRP wherever you are, then you did well. But if you didn't, my advice is to let it go. Don't give the flippers what they want. The only way this'll slow down is if we ignore the F.O.M.O. and let things go, leaving them staring at their "investment portfolio" while it gathers dust. And yes, once again I'm also talking to myself. I didn't get one either!
Now for the bonus round, another 100% ex-bourbon Springbank. But it's a little different from the 10-year old Local Barley. This is an independent bottling from North Star, and it's a 21-year old single cask. One refill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled for the Facebook group "It's All About Springbank". This one was distilled in March 2000 and bottled in May 2021 at a cask strength of 45.2% ABV. Obviously this is far more unobtainable than the already-unobtainable official bottling we've just reviewed, with only 238 bottles released and only sold by ballot to members of said Facebook group, direct from the bottlers. Obviously it was also significantly more expensive at around £400, not including international shipping, duties or excise. So probably around $1,000 AUD landed on these shores, or just under. But that's relatively reasonable compared to what they could've charged for it here in 2023, and I don't want to know what these go for now on the secondary market. The owner of this bottle was generous enough to give me a sample for the purposes of review, and it'd be silly not to do so!
Distilled 03/2000, fully matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled 05/2021 at cask strength. Exclusive to Facebook group "It's All About Springbank". Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 238 bottles.
Colour: Gold.
Nose: My god. It's brilliant. Mineral, malty, fatty, and lightly honeyed. Creamy milk chocolate, aniseed, pork fat, camphor, sour cream. Well-integrated soft earthy peat, lemon butter, slightly waxy & greasy, floral too. Cold fireplace (soot), salted lemons, vanilla pound cake, black pepper. The complexity & changeability on the nose is incredible, taking my time with this one!
Texture: Medium weight. Buttery, fatty, waxy, citric. No heat whatsoever.
Taste: Rich with melted butter, lemon cake icing / frosting, sea salt, and creamy milk chocolate. Sour cream, touch of bitter orange. Licking a cold fireplace (soot) - or should that be, licking the mesh floors in Springbank's kiln? No, I'm getting carried away there. Pork fat / drippings, vanilla pound cake, greasy/oily saw coolant. Red apple skins, and aniseed powder.
Finish: Medium length. More lemon butter, vanilla pound cake, damp malted barley, then bitter lemon peel, very soft earthy peat & soot, red apple skins, and table salt. Touch of pickled onions, preserved bitter lemons, and sour cream again. I don't want it to finish!
Score: 5 out of 5.
Notes: Mother of god. I'm refraining from using colourful language here, but this whisky is a stunner. The nose alone is incredible, I'd happily nose it for hours (days, even) without ever taking a sip. Like I said, incredible complexity & changeability on the nose alone, every minute change in time, temperature & position brought out new notes. But the palate is also fantastic, in fact this whisky never drops the ball. From what I've tasted to date, I'd say this is my ultimate ex-bourbon cask Springbank. Apologies to the 14-year old Bourbon Wood which held that title previously, but it's not even close. I really did not want this one to end. Not at all. If I'm really picking nits, I suppose I'd like a little more length & weight on the finish. But only if that change didn't dampen a single other aspect, otherwise I'll leave it as-is without complaint, thank you very much. This is one of my all-time greats.
Every now and then we whisky geeks come across a dram that makes our eyes widen, one that makes us laugh out loud and involuntarily shake our heads like idiots. Or at least I do! And this is one of those drams. Of course it would have to be an ex-bourbon cask Springbank. A hall of famer, and a mind-melter.
Thanks to the generous owner for this sample. What an absolute stunner.
Cheers!
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