SPRINGBANK CASK STRENGTH 12 YEAR
Fall 2024 releaseMASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 112.4
AGE – 12 years (in 60% bourbon, 35% sherry, and 5% rum casks)
DISTILLERY – J. & A. Mitchell & Co
PRICE – $122 (discounted from $150)
WORTH BUYING? – Yes!
I’m writing this the afternoon after uncorking this bottle. Usually I wait to write up notes on a bottle until at least a week has passed and I’m some handful of pours into it. But right out of the gate this was so stellar that I was already three pours in before the night was done, and excited to get to the notes.
Of course, this bottle may evolve over time now that it’s breathing. This is true of any whisky. And certainly if this Springbank 12 Year Cask Strength release wasn’t so impressive at first pour, I’d wait. There have even been whiskies that at uncorking I suspected might never come around—e.g. Wild Turkey Forgiven or an Auchentoshan 22 Year I once had. But after some weeks or months they improved. Sometimes it’s the reverse, and an initially impressive whisky gradually turns bland. So, one never knows.
But Springbank’s track record is solid. Whisky fans extol the brand for good reason. In my own experience, the Campbeltown Loch is a perennial fave. The Springbank 10 Year is dependably perfect. The 15 Year is a bit uneven by comparison, but still quality stuff. The 2022 Longrow Red Tawny Port release made a robust and lasting impression. And my first taste of this Fall 2024 cask strength release gave me confidence I was still in good hands.
And so here we are, sixteen hours after uncorking and four pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – a slightly sooty pale amber
NOSE – sweet round red sherried fruits, dark honey, salty air, ocean sprayed stone, earthy peat, subtle but definite diesel smoke
TASTE – rich honey and fleshy melon, red sherry fruitiness, syrupy dark chocolate sauce, subtle yet solid earthy smoke and peat
FINISH – the dark honey and melon now tangier, subtle smoke, earthiness
OVERALL – complex, balanced, rich, sweetness grounded by the earthiness, as serious as it is fun.
Wow. Last night the rain had stopped and the night was foggy. Outside on my back stoop, this whisky was a perfect warmer for the night’s damp chill. This afternoon, under drizzly clouds, it once again brings on the warm light.
I’m struck most by the sweet notes—melon, honey, that faintly sulfurous dried plum and cherry coming from the sherry casks. Springbank also put a small percentage of ex-rum casks to use on this release, and this might explain that rich dark honey coating everything.
This fruity, honeyed sweetness takes the lead, balanced perfectly against the sooty smoke and earthy peat. I always find notes like “diesel” or “sooty” to be counter-intuitive. How could they possibly be enjoyable? But then something like this Springbank comes along, looks Expectation in the eye and says Ha!
I will savor this bottle. For certain, some portion of it will go towards Blood & Sand cocktails. I know that’s heresy to some whisky fans. But good ingredients make good cocktails, and I’m no purist. One of the best Manhattans I ever had was in Wrocław, Poland, at a bar called Dom Whisky (now sadly closed) made with Booker’s! Not cheap. But you only live once.
I opened this at the perfect time, a grey and drizzly spate of winter weather. California is generally an arid climate, more and more so as the years go by. Even though downcast weather can cast down my mood, I welcome the rain. We need it. Luckily I have this bottle of Springbank to keep things bright.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 