The Southside Whisky Club  


Springbank 12yo | 56.3% | Campbeltown
172
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Distillery Info
Springbank Distillery, Scotland     founded: 1828 | active
For more detailed mapping of the distilleries in the area from our whisky map page, use this link.

Meet Deets
Meet #79   |   17/09/16   |   Hosted by Ali
This was one of our rare proxy tastes, with two teams tasting in different towns. MacDuff vs Springbank, Edinburgh vs North Berwick.
Other bottles sampled:
#176 Macduff 9yo WB | SSWC review 79a
Smells
Either someone is building an extension to a hospital or can we smell two types of plaster (wall and antiseptic). Whatever it is, someone's having a break to get a hearty breakfast of cereal, waffles with bacon and maple syrup, and brioche toast. There's a surprising warmth to the smell, is this actually a hot toddy?
Tastes
It's a sherry bomb, perhaps unexpectedly so, maybe even too much so for some, with that slight sherry rubberiness. It's also smokier than your average Springbank, to the extent that someone asks pointedly if this is Longrow. Various kinds of confectionary are vying for our attention here - of the sucky sweet variety (cola cubes, barley sugars), more fruit-based efforts (fruit salads, tangfastics) and finally dark chocolate. It's juicy and full-tang. That bacon hasn't gone away either .


  Meet 79   |   Batch 13 of the reliable Springbank 12yo Cask Strength series.   (2 photos)
Finishes
The finish is dry and hot. It buzzes like a nearby wasp . The sweets are still there, the cola cubes transformed into actual flat coca cola, and the fruit salads are more specifically apple-flavoured. There's definitely the peel of a citrus fruit, although there is some disagreement about which one, and whether it is desiccated or not.
Comments
This was always likely to be a winner with our group, but perhaps impressed a touch more than we expected.
Cost
~£45 (70cl)
WhiskyBase
Rating
86 / 100

Ali8 Christina7.5 Giles7 Iain5.5 Jamie8 Liz7.2 Martin8 Phil7.1 Shelley7.5 Avg.7.3