The actual tasting was on the 30th October. I was double-booked, so did not make it. You will remember that the experience the day before did not really push me to choose to attend this one over the East-Coast shindig: another non-interactive Youtube live was not appealing. This back-up session is technology free.
Dram #1
Springbank 12yo (56.1%, OB Cask Strength, 45% Sherry + 25% Bourbon + 25% Burgundy + 5% Port Casks): this is not yet released, maybe not even bottled yet. It is the next 12yo Cask Strength. Nose: it is a full tannery, in there, with leather purses, leather coats and moccasins. Shortly thereafter, treacle enters, dark and sweet, sticky molasses, sticky toffee pudding. Moustache wax joins in, as does brine-y sea breeze. Moss water, in a bucket near the fireplace, colour pencils and oilskins, drying by the fireplace too. Further nosing puts the emphasis on embers and logs, also by the fire, soot in the chimney and, seal wax. Mouth: ink, red lipstick, hot candlewax, seal wax, walnut oil... Oh! it is oily alright. Oily and spicy, which points to chilli-infused oil. The seal wax makes it clear it is there to stay, and it is accompanied by lip balm and burning-hot apricot compote. Finish: delicate in the finish, it is also elegant, with hot wax, red lipstick, a hearty fireplace and a bucket of coal. If there is any apricot left here, it is charred beyond recognition. Not an immediate seducer, but this will win many over, with repeated sipping. 8/10
Dram #2
Springbank 26yo 1993/2020 (51.1%, OB Limited Edition for the 2020 Virtual Springbank Open Day, 2 x Refill Bourbon Hogsheads, 432b): nose: much, much dryer, this one has ink, pencil lead, something reminiscent of hospital corridors (overly heated, enclosed atmosphere and industrial-grade linoleum), then, drying clay, transmogrifying into ashy, dry soil. Ashy indeed -- after a wee while, that is almost all that remains! Finally, a soft note of seal wax shows up, sooty and, well, waxy. The second sip brings refined and restrained peat smoke, hinting at a holiday manor, more than a bothy. Mouth: fulfilling, it has ginger and liquorice to augment the comforting wax. In fact, this has a strong feel of cough syrup, or strong cough drops; Valda, to be precise. Elderberry, blackcurrant jams, squashed blackberry, pinot noir. This is a Bourbon cask!? The liquorice suggests a certain bitterness, and indeed, there is a bit of that, though not quite rubber. Finish: big, bold, it covers a wide range of flavours too: still waxy, still cough-syrup-like, this has elderberry, blackcurrant liqueur, liquorice allsorts and faint peat smoke, so discreet it seems disguised. The finish too has a bitter whisper, as well as a more pronounced sweetness: concentrated tamarind, I declare, with the sudden certainty of a man who knows he is right. Concentrated smoked tamarind it is. Yay. Drying cow dung emerges, towards the death -- always a winner, for this countryside boy. What a cracker! 9/10
Dram #3
Springbank 17yo (48.5%, OB, Fresh Madeira Casks): another yet-to-be-released number. Nose: herbal, full of botanicals (juniper, mace, sumac, aniseed, lovage seeds, black cardamom). Fortunately --- and I say 'fortunately,' because it is very gin-like, -- fortunately, that dissipates somewhat to make room for wine-y and smoky scents: venison roast, served with a wine sauce, smoked lingonberry compote, smoked cranberries, soaked in Burgundy. In the far back, a Bulgomme protective table underlay appears, that has protected a table in a smoker's house for many years. Mouth: creamy and wine-y, in a fruity way, with decaying grapes, berry wine, cassis liqueur poured onto moist chocolate sponge cake, spiked dark-berry jam and cherry custard. The texture is velvety and coating like a good wine, yet it does not overstay its welcome. It seems to become better and better, the more one sips it -- are old Springers not always that way? Finish: wow! This is so close to cassis liqueur I could be fooled. Blackcurrant jam, with a hint of wood and a clear (if soft) smoky touch. It is a humble, but hearty breakfast, with browned toasts and that delicious jam. Dram #2 was a tough act to follow, but this does so adequately, becoming especially pleasant from the second sip on. 8/10
Dram #4
Springbank 21yo b.2020 (46%, OB, 30% Bourbon + 30% Rum + 25% Oloroso Sherry + 15% Port Casks, 3300b, 20/68): nose: this is as complex as the mix of casks. Nail varnish, fortified wine, slightly-burnt chocolate cake, chalk (WTF!?), mochaccino... Breathing in the glass makes it veer towards coffee, suggesting the Oloroso might have the last laugh. Prunes, soaked in a bowl of coffee, red wine and earthy water, then talcum powder and flour-dusted blackcurrant cough drops, sprinkled with liquorice and ink. Mouth: definitely blackcurrant cough drops, Valda style again, liquorice-y, perhaps rubbery, and it even has a pinch of spices (mace, fenugreek). The texture is milky, the reduction not causing a major incident, and it is tickles the gums with that faint spiciness, rather than coating the mouth, akin to a cordial, more than cough syrup. Finish: long and calmly assertive, it sums up the notes from the nose and palate, with earth, coffee grounds, blackcurrants and elderberry cough drops, tame wood spices and the sweetness of a Dorset tea-time pastry. Other than a gentle warming side, there is little of the distillery character, here; it is not really farm-y, not really coastal. It is really nice, though. And pretty sweet -- certainly too much for some. 8/10
The line-up has two more samples, but that will be enough for today.
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