Springbank 16 Years Old Local Barley 54.3% 1999

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (91)

All the barley came from one single farm in Kintyre, and was floor-malted on location at Springbank. The casks were kept and disgorged/bottled on location as well. Some will say that this is genuine ‘single malt’, while so many are totally international ‘operations’ and carry almost nothing truly ‘local’. Colour: pale gold. Nose: same family, and that’s very obvious on the nose, even if this one has a bit of varnish, possibly from the higher strength. Similar metallic/mineral profile, with perhaps a little more grapefruit and lemon, but the soot and ashes are well there. The shoe polish as well. With water: takes water extremely well. In other words, more quality shoe polish ;-). Mouth (neat): this is really very good, and totally up my alley. Sharp, sooty, very zesty, slightly pungent, with a perfect minerality and a grassy side that reminds me a bit of that Spanish white wine that can be very good (and sometimes awful, to be honest), verdejo. With water: oh yes it swims well. Perfect lemon, soot, paraffin (the good side of paraffin), ashes… What it’s not quite got, and which was in the 1978, is salt. Finish: long, lemony, grassy, and sooty. In other words, perfect. A medicinal side in the aftertaste (iodine, antiseptic). Comments: I was hoping this wood be great, and I’m not disappointed. Old school and just perfect.

Whisky Notes (90)

Nose: pepper, wet ropes. Sweet malty notes (sweeter than in other
Springbanks, or so it seems) with some honey, vanilla and lemon candy.
Hints of engine oil and very light peat. After some time it develops
nice mirabelle notes and lemon sherbet, which gives this a rather unique
edge.
Mouth: thick, pretty sweet with a similar vanilla, apricot and
sherbet combination. Earthy notes, hints of brine. Hints of biscuits,
some pink grapefruit and pear. Lovely fruitiness really, with a light
floral touch as well. Light heather honey.
Finish: medium long, just
slightly drier, with subtle earthy smoke, apple peel and lemon.
The current-day Springbank profile is unique and rather excellent
already. This one has all the classic notes, yet it adds in a nice
fruitiness and buttery roundness. Great balance.

BOW (91)

Official tasting notes:
Nose: Initially Sweet and briny before notes of butter shortbread, vanilla, pear drops and raisin develop.
Palate: Sweet and rounded with a very subtle peat influence combining with butter tablet, soft fruit and mineral notes.
Finish: evolving finish with notes reminiscent of our earthy dunnage
warehouses. The peat is slightly more prominent and integrates well
with lighter notes of candy and lemon zest.

All distilled from barley grown at Low Machrimore Farm in Southend, a few miles outside of Campbeltown

The barley type is prisma and 80% of the whisky was matured in American oak ex bourbon and 20% European oak ex oloroso sherry.

Words of Whisky (90)