Springbank 15yo Collective Review
Various Batches from the Dramface Team | 46% ABV
Our first ever mega-review. Perhaps our last.
A Hoarder’s Guide
So you’ve got some Springbank in the closet? Maybe you bought them a few years ago before things got really crazy? Or maybe you’ve lucked out recently and hunted one down in the wild. Afraid to break the seal because they are so delicious you won’t be able to hold back? Before you know it the bottle will be empty and irreplaceable, at least if you want to pay a fair price. Or maybe you bought them as an investment? But in that case, you’re probably not reading the preamble of a Dramface article.
We at this humble whisky website feel your struggle and want you to be able to live vicariously through us as we sample our way along the Springbank 15 flavour rainbow. If you have one stashed away, we encourage you to open it and dram along. Or you can leave it sealed and imagine what that glorious liquid feels like as the aromas waft into your nostrils and it slides around on your tongue. As always, let us know your thoughts and feelings down in the comments!
“The Springbank 15 year old is very much the runt of the litter.” Dallas Mhor
Dallas previously reviewed a sample of a 2021 release, scoring it a 5/10. For his likings, that particular release was more shrouded by cask influences with notes such as earthy, muggy, wet bark, and white mushrooms detected by his seasoned palate. Additionally, one of the unique aspects of Dramface’s active community is we can go back and read the comments on previously reviewed whiskies, garnering crowdsourced opinions from a variety of people.
After extracting a few reader comments: “The 15yo is not exactly my favourite Springbank either”, “... I’ve found some of the 15yo cloying”, “Wow, that bad [the 5/10 score]? I recently opened a bottle [of 2019] and it was really great whisky, above 90/100 for sure”, “The 15 is very much the red-headed stepchild of the range… definitely my go to Springbank”.
So quite the range in responses and thoughts towards this middling aged core range release.
I’ll admit I had a SB15 sitting unopened in my closet for the last couple of years waiting for the right time, so when Broddy recently announced he’d been able to snag a 2022 bottle, it prompted me to pop mine and raise my hand, offering a friendly collaboration. I know I won’t be able to replace it anytime soon and I’m ok with that.
It wasn’t too long before the call was sent out to fellow Dramface contributors to pitch in their takes as well, no matter what bottling they had and we received an overwhelming response. Seems a lot of us have Springbanks in the closet. It’s great to see them being opened for the purposes of this review and samples shared with other contributors for their takes. Given this is probably Springbank’s most divisive release, it’s always good to have multiple opinions. Oh and opinions we have for you dear reader.
This is my second bottle of the 15 year old, and I’ve had a few 10s over the years, but others like my co-author Broddy are approaching this whisky from a cold-eyes perspective. He believes people like Dallas, and perhaps many of the other commenters that had less than stellar feedback on his 2021 review, likely favour a more ex-bourbon cask combination for their Springbank.
That’s the beauty of whisky, with a near infinite amount of variation in possible whisky flavours and our personal palate and flavour experiences. Perhaps these other younger more ex-bourbon dominant whiskies have been held to a high standard, an indefatigable pedestal towering over all other forms, denying the whisky enjoyer from objectively enjoying other whiskies from the same or different distilleries.
“The 15yo is not exactly my favourite Springbank either.”
Jimmy Leg
Given the large volume of opinions here we’ve tried to summarise them in a concise way to aid comparisons and help the flippers decide which of their unopened bottles to sell first. In Dramface style we’ll give it to you upfront to save the scrolling. Enjoy our Springbank compilation.
as above, reviews are listed by batch chronologically
Review 1/14 - Tyree
Springbank 15yo, Batch 03.06.19, 46% ABV
AUD$230 minimum (AUD$130 paid)
This is, for mine and evidently many other people’s palates, one of the most variable of the Springbank core releases. Being almost entirely sherry cask matured, that's little surprise - trying to find consistent, clean sherry casks in today’s market seems a tall order. I’ve had several batches of this bottling which are, frankly, not generally my cup of tea. This is one of the slightly better bottlings I’ve tried in the series but must admit, it tends to be a mood and/or situational dram for me most of the time, as partially evidenced by the bottle still being more than half full after nearly three years of being open.
The amount of air time should also be considered in the following review; while many sulfur compounds aren’t excessively volatile (mercaptans/thiols for instance), there are a handful which can “blow off” so to speak, and some can undergo oxidation reactions too. In any case, I feel this bottle is a little less stinky than it was a few years ago, but it’s always hard to tell given the palate drift we’re all subject to with varying degrees.
Nose
Still pretty sulfurous. Some struck match, rubber, alliums, cruciferous vegetables, fermented meats and even some congested kitchen sink. Moving past that (as best I can) there’s nice dried fruits in the typical sherry vein of plums, dates and figs, wet mulch, earth, pipe tobacco, mild soy sauce and old coffee grounds. There’s also a metallic/mushroomy tone indicative of some rancio causing ketones. A hint of tropical fruit can be felt underneath with a lick of signature Springbank peat, but globally the distillate is suppressed underneath the sherry and sulphur.
Palate
Quite a mouthful. More blustering sulphur and some pretty prominent rancio notes; mushrooms sauteed in old/oxidised butter, more soy sauce and a mixed oily nuts. More sherry fruits which are still pretty good, some bitter baker’s chocolate bordering on a tannic astringency, tobacco leaf with a bit of a faecal lean, then more background peat and esters.
The Dregs
This doesn’t represent what I love about Springbank. The sulphur is just too much for me and feels dominantly cask derived. There’s too much sherry oak for my tastes (particularly the rancio) and it doesn’t showcase much in the way of their incredible distillate, particularly in the fruit department. I can see how this would tick some boxes for the sherry bomb fans out there with a higher sulfur tolerance, but to me this is just sub-par overall. At the price I paid for this bottle, I’m not too bothered; there are others that enjoy this quite a bit and I like to pour it for them. Had I paid current market prices, I would be apoplectic.
There are redeeming qualities, and had the sherry casks here been cleaner with less rancio, I think it could probably have been a good whisky. As it is, I’m happy to leave it mostly for guests to drink. Even the best distilleries can’t nail every bottling every time, and the 15 remains a challenging one for me. I had to refer to the scoring guide closely for this one- it would be easy to low ball for sensationalism, but I don’t think that’s a fair assessment based on my notes and thoughts above. The score given below is for the price I paid; at current retail prices, it would be a 3/10.
Score: 4/10 TK
Review 2/14 - Aengus
Springbank 15yo, Batch 01.09.20, 46% ABV
CAD$119
Nose
Rubber, fresh tropical fruits, banana, mango, white grape juice, fruitcake with a touch of spice. Funky farmyness and well-integrated peat. Leather, smoke, antiseptic, and a tiny bit of sulphur. What would normally be off notes are somehow spun into positive features here. Walking that line is something Springbank does with flair.
Palate
Juicy and mouth-watering. Pineapple, mango, and orange. Syrup sweetened citrus. It’s fresh but also dirty as the peat hits in the back of the mouth with a nice bite. Cinnamon, leather, liquorice. After an hour or so in the glass, I added a drip of water and the mist appeared, even on a warm spring afternoon. Out of the mist there it was, my achilles heel: coconut.
The Dregs
Springbank 15 does the usual Springbank things. Those that enjoy the distillery won’t be disappointed with this bottling as the signature character is still here. What the 15yo has that most of their other expressions don’t, however, is this additional layer of dirty sherry cask (and other casks in a mix that varies batch to batch) that generate some questionable, even repulsive, off notes. It’s done in a good way with this bottling, for me at least. It’s a dram that forces me to pay attention and ask questions.
When I get those coconut lactones (especially if I have to work for it) it’s an automatic winner for me. A trick that’s shared by most of my favourite whiskies and never gets old. I could sit for hours with this whisky and be thoroughly engaged because it has everything I need - sweetness, fruit, light well-integrated peat, spice, funkiness, and just the right amount of dirt. I'm glad I still have most of the bottle left to eek out for as long as possible.
Score: 8/10 AMc
Review 3/14 - Broddy
Springbank 15yo, Batch 01.09.20, 46% ABV
- Sample
Nose
Raisins, walnuts, light machine oil (like sewing machine or small toy oil). Whiff of new toy car rubber wheels. A light syrupy sweetness composed of simple syrup, maraschino cherries, and cooked pineapple accompanies those notes. It’s a very nice and refined nose, albeit relatively simple.
Palate
A middling amount of black pepper tingles and builds throughout the experience. The initial entry is soft and subdued, missing any distinctive notes. The latter half of the palate opens up to brighter sherry notes, a medley of raisins and apricots and indistinct nuttiness accompanying a light golden sugar sweetness and grilled pineapple parlaying with the black pepper. A touch of vanilla and light peat phenols erring on the rubbery side is detected after a few sips. The peat is so light here that it’s not distinctly smoky, earthy, woody, iodine-like, or other associated flavours. I’m only able to resolve these small details because I know it’s a Springbank and should have some phenols in the final distillate.
To me, this one tingles the throat more than the 2022 edition.
*Thanks to Aengus for the sample.
Score: 6/10 BB
Review 4/14 - Dallas
Springbank 15yo, Batch 04.01.21, 46% ABV
From his previous review
Nose
Initially stagnant, like a fermentation pool. Time is necessary as the oak spice and copper sheets with tea leaves weaken their grip. Candied orange peel, an old sailing canvas, brass tacks and a touch of peat. This brings earthiness, root ginger and chestnut mushrooms.
Palate
Muggy, earthy, mossy. Wet bark, kindling and fudge. Wild blackcurrants, chocolate and white mushrooms. Chilli flakes, gunpowder and whole nutmeg. Black peppercorns and wet rubber.
The Dregs
This is far from the best Springbank 15 year old I’ve tried. Sometimes the appeal of these annual releases is they can vary so much and yet the lack of consistency can also work against it. This 2021 bottling feels shackled to the cask, dense and confused. Springbank needs to be free and able to swagger. In doing so, enthral and captivate the drinker. Despite the sublime blending of the Springbank 10 year old in 2021, this particular older sibling has fallen short of such lofty heights.
Score: 5/10 DM
Review 5/14 - Ramsay
Springbank 15yo, Batch 04.01.21, 46% ABV
Nose
Sweet and fruity. Muscavado sugar and honey, with mango, blackcurrant, apple, raisin, hoisin sauce and crème caramel. This is intertwined with black tea, brown decaying leaves, furniture polish and old leather, along with a dusty earthiness, grass and salt.
Palate
More of that sweet blackcurrant and apple but perhaps a touch more apple this time, along with sour raspberry. Brown sugar and ginger spice, with sultanas and liquorice coming in shortly after. There’s toasted oak, leather mechanical oils, coal and chocolate limes. Wispy smoke builds into the finish, with creamy vanilla, hazelnut and brown leafiness.
The Dregs
I think this particular Springbank release gets more stick than it deserves. Then again, perhaps it’s more a case of being the lesser of a great bunch in a lot of people’s eyes. I really like it. Fruity and brown is how I have chosen to describe it. It’s the sweet fruitiness that hits me first, followed by the brown leaves, leather, tea, liquorice, and oak all giving it that feeling of brownness. There’s a nice hint of smoke that comes in too.
Perhaps there are some issues with batch variation, but a 2020 bottling I had (can’t remember which exact 2020 bottle sorry) was also very good, as is this early 2021 release in my opinion.
Score: 8/10 RT
Review 6/14 - Wally
Springbank 15yo, Batch 04.01.21, 46% ABV
£65 Paid
I remember buying this bottle, I’d headed in to collect my 10yo and this was just sitting on the shelf. It’s nice when that happens, ever more rare, but nice.
Nose
Dark honey, stewed plums. It’s resinous too, think linseed, old-school oily rags and wood stain. Overripe peaches, menthol and a beefy note too.
Palate
A sour and slightly bitter arrival gives way to a sweet peach juice before switching back to an oaky bitterness once more, this is a story of the casks. It’s rounded and dare I say a little flat, lacking grip or spice, but still very enjoyable. There’s a sense of antique whisky here, almost a little old-bottle-effect, as if it’s been in glass for a long time. The peachy sweetness keeps me coming back and I pour another, delighted to find that savoury, meaty base note.
The Dregs
As I think this collaborative monster of a deep-dive review may reveal, this is certainly one of those whiskies that will have the batches discussed just as much as availability and price, but in my experience it’s always interesting.
Sipping it today, I can see why it’s the most divisive of the range but this is better than my previous bottle. I didn’t record the batch but it had fireworks and matchbox sulphur whiff about it that rendered it a mood dram, this January 2021 edition is a lot easier. I love the sweet peach juice and flash of menthol that flashes throughout and the beefy note is interesting, a little like sticking your beak in a bag of roast beef-flavoured Monster Munch. You may argue it needs a little more vibrance or top note about it but that would be me being petty.
If I spotted it sitting on a shelf again, well, you know the answer. Tagged, snagged and bagged.
Score: 7/10 WMc
Review 7/14 - Calder
Springbank 15yo, Batch 05.10.21, 46% ABV
AUD$230 recently, AUD$130 paid.
Ah, the ugly duckling of the Springbank range, or perhaps the black sheep? While to most people it’s either of these, or the one that “doesn’t showcase the Springbank spirit”, to me Springbank 15 was my first. My first non-Islay peated whisky, my first Campbeltown whisky, and most importantly, my very first Springbank.
Despite being the ugly duckling, it’ll be the one that imprinted on me, so when I think Springbank I often go to the the 15yo. It wasn’t love at first sight though, this is one of those whiskies that takes time, and plenty of it, to really showcase what it’s capable of. At first it’s muted on the nose, slight wisps of peat and perhaps some sherry, sulphury funk, but the flavour develops well with air and time in the bottle. A friend of mine tends to pour half the bottle into another empty vessel so it can achieve this effect quicker, whether that’s a placebo or not I’m not sure, but worth tabling for an experiment in the future.
Springbank 15 is often the last to sell for most Campbeltown outturns but even this bottle is scarcely found by the casual drinker these days. I managed to smuggle a bottle or two (along with the Springbank 10) a few years ago, so I still have some Springbank to last. That said, I’ve painfully come to some sort of mental peace that I’ll likely not be able to get any more bottles, even the 15, given the current climate of the Campbeltown craze. But for now, let’s pour a dram, take some time and enjoy.
Nose
Wafting aromas from a hot wok, stir-fried prawns in oyster sauce and Filipino spam fried rice. A likely rum influence with hints of dark molasses followed by tinned pineapples, or perhaps apricots. Time in the glass does this nose a lot of favours with any minute sulphur toning down and the sweetness ramping up.
Palate
A greasy Hawaiian pizza from your local paired with a bottle of cherry coke. Sticky caramelised onions and prune coconut candy announces a swirl of savoury with the sweet. Not as oily on the palate as most Springbanks I’ve had of recent, or even older batches of Springer 15. This is a definitively dirty whisky, which is something us whisky reviewers can tend to say a lot. But if you’re not sure what that means, grab a dram of this and you’ll know what we’re blabbing on about. The finish is medium with the taste of a ham sandwich, spread with fruit chutney on rye.
The Dregs
Conventional fan wisdom is such that you keep a whisky in the glass to “air out” as long as the number of years it’s been aged in the cask. For cask-heavy Springbank, I’d double that, they need the time, particularly so if it’s from a freshly-opened bottle. I have a suspicion that my score will be one of the higher ones here, but I don’t deny that other Springbanks may be more stellar.
Gun to my head I’d pick the 10yo over this, but on a rainy night at home, with a pizza on my lap, and John Wick 2 on the TV, I can’t pick any other whisky but this. It’s perfectly unpretentious and imperfectly delicious, showcasing those dirty umami notes that’s taken Springbank to whisky nerd fandom. Approach with humility and gentle heart and you may have a really fun time here.
Score: 7/10 CD
Review 8/14 - Drummond
Springbank 15yo, Batch 24.01.22, 46% ABV
£70 Paid
While the 10yo seems to be universally acclaimed as a masterpiece and exemplar of what is possible in not just a 10 year old but single malt generally, the 15, as Aengus details above, is often seen as the black sheep of the core range. I know that many people prefer their Springbank bourbon-matured, but as these days my palate seems to crave dirty (please never change, Benromach and Edradour) and sherried malts (I know that you’re cask driven, Glenallachie 10 cask strength, but I love you anyway), sherried Campbeltown funk is right up my alley right now.
I’ve had one bottle of Springbank 15 a few years ago earlier in my whisky journey when it was slightly easier to find. Having also been lucky enough to drain a bottle of the 10yo, and currently working – albeit very slowly and conservatively – on a bottle of the 18yo, I feel I’m getting to know the distillate fairly well, although with not as much experience as some of my fellow Dramfacers. Beware: I just opened this bottle, so this is based on the neck pour. I know I should wait until it’s past the shoulder or so, but when the “D” for Dramface bat signal was flashed calling for a mega-collaboration on this, I knew this was a great occasion to open it.
Nose
Rich, caramel, a light fusile quality that some may get as sulphur but doesn’t bother me. Very light peat in the background, along with some fruit. It seems to be both stewed fruits and caramel-drizzled melon, or something like that. One note I got prominently on my previous bottle of the 15 year old was peated banana - I’m not really getting that here but again, this is the neck pour, but rather something like peated leathery melon growing in a farmyard.
Palate
Rich, decadent, light but distinct Springbank peat. Caramel-laced spices cooked with mellow fruits again. Nice oily texture and mouthfeel. Something like tobacco. As the glass sits for about 25 minutes, the funk seems to come through more distinctly. For me this is best articulated as a workshop, low-level industrial, engine oil quality. If my grandfather had dumped sherry across his old grease-stained wooden workbench and then bottled it, it wouldn’t be a million miles from this. Finish is medium to medium-long, but the lightly peaty sherry spices linger along with some oiliness.
The Dregs
I love the 10, and I love this 15 just as much, but for different reasons. I get how some of what’s here can be off-putting for some people - what I get as fusile-quality notes others might get sulphur, and if you’re nose doesn’t care for sulphur, then this isn’t going to be your Springbank. That said, if you’ve had the 10 and wonder what a sherried version might be like, this has to be your next stop on your tour of the core range. If you can find it. If you do find some, DM me.
Score: 8/10 DD
Review 9/14 - Aengus
Springbank 15yo, Batch 15.09.22, 46% ABV
Thanks to Broddy for the sample
Nose
Prunes and dark fruits, plum jam, raspberries. Woody peat with the edges nicely rounded off. Slight sulphur. A red wine reduction with butter and onions. Orange oil aerosols freshly spritzed from the peel, dark brown sugar, well-aged rum, and a chainsaw running upwind. With water it gets a bit pointier with brighter fruits and cardboard.
Palate
More plums, berries with cream, a hint of milk chocolate. Sulphur is present more than the 2020 bottle but not off-putting. It prickles the sides of my tongue with an oily liquorice sensation. Medium long finish with barnyard funk. With water the palate becomes more muted.
The Dregs
This 2022 sample from Broddy’s bottle is more dark fruits and is seemingly more sherry influenced, whereas the 2020 bottling gives off brighter tropical fruits and seems a bit peatier. This one is more rounded while the 2020 is sharper. Both are very good and they are very similar and obviously different batches of the same expression but I prefer the 2020 with its greater levels of natural haze and coconut goodness.
*Thanks to Broddy for the sample
Score: 7/10 AMc
Review 10/14 - Broddy
Springbank 15yo, Batch 15.09.22, 46% ABV
CAD$150 (£89)
This 2022 is my first Springbank bottle. Yes, it’s true. I’ve been conscious and perhaps a bit jealous of those who’ve had Springbank. It’s held in such high regard, garnering a place atop Mount Olympus among whisky reviewers, and I feel left out and a bit of a fake. I don’t work in the whisky industry, nor have I been creating whisky review content for a long time, despite consuming this glorious liquid for a decade. How can I review whiskies if I haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying one the last remaining bastions of quality malts? Are my flavour and scoring reference points off? Am I ranking other whiskies too high?
Unfortunately for me, and I’m assuming many of you around the world, it’s been difficult to get my hands on a few distilleries including Springbank. They’ve been unobtainium in my parts of the world, only receiving a case or two every year, quickly gobbled up in the seconds they’re listed for sale. I’d given up the electronic seller chase because I was never fast or reckless enough with my whisky purchasing funds. After wandering into a local brick-and-mortar store, I was greeted with six recently released 2022 edition Springbank 15s sitting on the shelf. Rather than snagging all six, which would have been greeted with a stern talking to from my significant other upon review of that month's expenses, I left with only one bottle, saving the remaining bottles for someone else to enjoy. Hopefully the others that followed me purchased in a similar manner.
After popping the bottle the moment I got home, like it was intended by the fine distillery people in Campbeltown by the way, I messaged Aengus, a fellow Canadian who was making his way to my neck of the woods for a holiday in the coming months. Rather than running out to purchase a bottle for him, he mentioned he had an older bottle of Springbank 15 stashed away and was willing to exchange some samples to team up on a joint review article. Gotta love the whisky community, eh?
[so that’s how this monster was birthed? Ed.]
Nose
It needs some breathing time. Initially, there’s a slight acetone-like note that borders on intense red apple wafts from the glass. After a bit of time, a densely sweet sherry-laden nose became prominent. A decadent dark brown sugar raisin butter tart. Trace remnants of hot rubber on a racetrack. Overall, it’s a nice nose but it isn’t exactly jumping out of my glass. It is more gloopy smelling than the 2020 bottling, oozing of dark brown sugar and buttery notes.
Pour yourself a dram, grab a snack or finish doing the dishes, and you will enjoy the nose more later.
Palate
Raisins. Dark brown sugar. Fresh 5W-30 motor oil. Raw walnut bitterness. Trace coconut and vanilla notes appear here and there. Trace rubber and coal-like smoke, as if there was a racetrack next to an old coal-fired train track. There are nice spicy oak tannin undertones. The finish lasts for a medium length, with notes of brown sugar and white pepper clinging to my tongue and cheeks.
The Dregs
Experienced blind, I wouldn’t peg either the 2020 or 2022 releases as having much peated malt in the mashbill. And objectively, it’s a good whisky and settles itself nicely into the 6/10 score. Perhaps my lack of experience with other Springbank releases is buoying my feelings towards this one? I don’t think so. Nothing is intruding into the experience nor is it especially remarkable in any particular way. Just a solid whisky for a solid score.
I think it’s even between the two bottlings (01-09-2022 and 15-09-2022). Depending on the day, I flip between which is my favourite, especially when tasting side-by-side. The 2020 version’s nose is lighter and dials back the brown sugar sweetness, while the palate is pepperier and slightly thinner and is missing some of the coconut and vanilla while containing more tropical fruits. In general, it’s more subtle and perhaps more complex than the 2022, which to my experience has a higher sherry content. Sometimes complexity doesn’t automatically equal a higher score in my books. It will be interesting to see how Aengus compares these two releases.
Exceeding the price I paid for this whisky (£89) opens up many opportunities for some well-aged and interesting whiskies, yet dipping below this price offers interesting sherried malts that could give this Springbank a run depending on your personal preferences. For example, for only $70 more, I could (and did) snag a 22 yo cask strength ex-bourbon single cask release of Glen Scotia from Gordon & Macphail. While that’s a rare single cask, what about more common core range releases? Would I pay 50% more than an equivalently sherried Edradour 10 from Signatory’s Unchillfiltered Collection? How about 50% over a Glen Scotia Double Cask (the PX one)? Trying the Signatory and the GS Double Cask alongside these Springbank 15s and I can generally say that they hold up on their own. They are obviously different distillates, mashbills, casks, and any number of other variables between them, but in terms of flavour, quality, and experience, there isn’t as big of a gap between them and this more coveted and higher priced Spingbank 15 yo as you might think.
The price I paid for this whisky is a dangerous tipping point. I’m glad I bought it, but I’m equally glad I didn’t grab all six bottles. It’s good, but not “exceed the whisky budget with all haste” good. If you find at RRP and it’s within your budget, it’s a worthwhile one to have on the shelf. But please, don’t overpay just for the name. I’m glad I experienced a Springbank and feel that my earlier trepidations regarding my lack of Springbank experiences were wholly incorrect. It’s just whisky at the end of the day and my experiences and connections with any whisky, not just Springbank, are more powerful than any imposter syndrome could be.
Score: 6/10 BB
Review 11/14 - Hamish
Springbank 15yo, Batch 07.11.22, 46% ABV
£75
First off a massive thank you and shoutout to Archie, who managed to source this bottle for me at cost. Having mentioned in a previous Dramface Zoom meetup that I’d not tasted any Springbank at all, the team were so kind and generous to send me samples and sort me out with a bottle if they could.
I’ve done my best to share as much as I can of this bottle as people have been very generous with this Springbank. My first taste of the 15, so here goes.
Nose
I was immediately taken aback at how clean and fresh this is on the nose. I can pick out a little lemon peel and a lovely bread/dough hint. Pencil shavings and some pencil rubber in there too. It turns very tropical, taking the shape of fruit salad confectionery and strawberry bubblegum. Dense fruit loaf with raisins. Sherried. Dried, tired leather and dusty copper coins. Lovely stuff.
Palate
Smoke. Coal. Dirty. Rather dense and a kick of cayenne pepper on the back end. Not industrial as I would have anticipated, but a big farmyard influence. Not that I’ve tasted cow manure, but it tastes that way. It has a long, lingering whack of smoke and burnt wood. Burnt honeycomb. Beef stock and a weird blend of red grapes and raisins mixed in gravy. Hard to tease much else once that burnt honeycomb and smoke takes control of your palate. Everything else is diluted.
The Dregs
As thankful and happy as I am having finally purchased a Springbank 15, I can see why this is the weird cousin within the Springbank core range. A delightful nose, with bags of sherry sweetness and a surprising tropical note but this dram just doesn’t deliver on taste. It’s different. I get some complexity, but the smoke just overpowers and it tastes like the ABV is well over 50% ABV on this strangely. The 10 is a lot better, but this 15 has made me want to hunt down the Hazelburn 10 and Longrow NAS so I can sample this Campbeltown giant some more.
Score: 6/10 HF
Review 12/14 - Gilbert
Springbank 15yo, Batch 07.11.22, 46% ABV
£75 - Sample
I gush over a glass of Longrow and my one true love, Kilkerran faces the risk of dilution in every pour as happy tears flow freely after every sip but in honesty, Springbank is yet to really tickle me.
Nose
I wasn’t expecting the heavy hit of tropical fruit on first contact, maybe Hamish mislabeled a Redbreast Cask Strength by mistake? Then there’s soil-like smoke starting to kick the dirt up from the glass stinging the sides of the snout. Each sniff it transforms through a mix of savoury and sweet notes almost becoming too clashing to find clear aromas. Farmyard funk is almost overused for these bottles, but if you could bottle the aroma of a dairy farm owned by James Brown and ToeJam & Earl, this is it.
Palate
The thick texture carries a mighty initial first taste which I can only describe in one word: purple. The savoury element comes to the foreground like blended battered chicken balls in sweet and sour sauce- very sour in fact. Sadly it starts to leave a bit of a sulphuric twang in the mouth, putting cooking matches out in out of date milk. Fortunately a mix of caramel chocolate and plum jam smears over the nastiness leaving an impressively long finish.
The Dregs
While I was preempting in my head that I wasn’t going to like this, I came to the end of the glass thinking: “Did I like this?”
I think I did, yet truthly, I’ve found myself more perplexed by what I experienced than a hard yes or no. Maybe that’s the allure of this bottle and it has intrigued me enough to want to throw myself down this rabbit hole again.
*Thanks to Hamish for the sample
Score: 6/10 GG
Review 13/14 - Arthur
Springbank 15yo, Batch 07.11.22, 46% ABV
£75 - Sample
Nose
This is Springbank. It starts with powerful Springbank notes on the nose, while Springbank comes back at you after a little longer in the glass. What that means to me is cinders and dust and delicious engine oil. It’s a little sour but at the same time, there’s some friendlier caramel hiding behind all that industrial chic.
Palate
Somewhat on the sour side. There’s not a great deal of richness or caramel on the palate, though perhaps there is some vanilla towards the finish. Although this is a 15 year old whisky, I feel as though the maturation here is mostly subtractive rather than additive (i.e. taking the bad stuff out). I’d guess the cask is several refills into its life. There’s nothing wrong with that, though. The sourness is balanced, just enough to stop it from being cloying and overall makes for an engaging dram. I find the majority of whiskies err on the side of dessert to my mouth, so something a bit more savoury is always welcome. After a while I’ve noticed there’s a fair amount of tannins and my mouth is drying out a little.
*Thanks to Hamish for the sample
Score: 7/10 AB
Review 14/14 - Gallie
Springbank 15yo, Batch 07.11.22, 46% ABV
£75 - Sample
Nose
Ah, the funk - yum. The nose is slightly acidic in a way that reminds me of bougie apple cider vinegar. This is that perfect amount of peat (for me, at the moment, at least): you don’t immediately know it’s there, but the whisky gradually reveals how much that fuel source of old is bringing to the party. There’s a very distant musty raisin smell that has no sweetness left (I know I said the same thing about the Ben Nevis 10yo Forgotten Bottling, which this is immediately somewhat reminiscent of, but that one definitely had more sweetness, as well as a slightly more fruity, rotted funk). This Springbank is not hugely forthcoming nose, although it’s still enticing.
Palate
It’s been too long since I’ve had a Springbank (such is life); I’d almost forgotten the strangely evocative flavours the distillery can provide. Here, we have saline coastal notes vying with nutmeg, cinnamon, and other baking spices. Then, something floral and spicy that’s almost like Szechuan peppercorns, and a bitter, medicinal herbaceous (that the Ben Nevis definitely doesn’t have). The texture is lovely - lightly oily. Speaking of which, there’s that classic Springbank note of old-time, industrial, rubbery polish or oil.
The Dregs
The finish is vinous with the tiniest hint of ash. Balanced tannins and earthiness left me wanting to drink more. This whisky is delicious and reasonably bold in its notes, which are interesting if not outlandishly complex. The rich toffee apple colour doesn’t hurt, either.
*Thanks to Hamish for the sample
Score: 7/10 GMc
A Note From Wally:
You made it all the way here. You are a hero. Or a desperate Springbank fan. Either way, thank you. This is a first for such a huge, in-depth collaborative mega-review thingy. It’s a varied spread of a dozen or so subjective opinions over seven batches of Springbank 15yo giving us 14 separate scores. It’s all in the subtlety and context.
If you found this enjoyable please shout loudly as it took many, many person-hours to create. In fact, the editorial team may not want to see such a thing happen again. So, please shout. Or become a member. That works too.
Thanks to you and our amazingly collaborative and generous team.
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