Springbank 21 Years Old Douglas Laing XOP 1996

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (92)

Colour: gold.

Nose: ooh, these mentholy and pine-y smells that I cherish so much, this soot, these subtle fermentary touches (pot ale), this grassy smoke (beach bonfire), these green cigars, Indonesian-style, this bag of last year’s cider apples that someone forgot to let ferment, and all this cut hay… With water: raw wool, wet dogs (we shall remain friends forever, dogs), candle wax, soot…

Mouth (neat): it’s an IB that’s pretty close to the OBs, and in truth rather more to Longrow than to Springbank, or say midway between both styles. Big notes of lemon icing, grass, green tea, cough medicine, then rather fresh coriander, concentrated lime juice (for quick mojitos)… My my. With water: exactly what we were hoping for. Wax and citrus in perfect sync. More Springbank than Longrow this time. Finish: long, rather dry and pretty bitter, calling for more. Lemony waxes and oils, with a salty tang in the aftertaste.

Comments: what’s most striking is that this is very close, as far as styles are concerned, to the old 10 that had probably been distilled in the 1960s. Product substance over brand content, as they’re now saying at marketing seminars.

BOW (92)