23/05/2019 Campbeltown Festival 2019 (Day 1 -- Part 2) Springbank Warehouse Tasting

Distillery manager Gavin MacLachlan ushers us into warehouse #4.

Walking into a tomb

Hazelburn 21yo d.1998 (53.6%, Cask Sample, C#204/49): GMcL tells us this one was earmarked for the German market, but it did not hold enough liquid, so was set aside for the warehouse tastings instead. Several people in the audience comment on how it has evolved, over the months -- to a point I wonder if I have had it too (if so, it was here) but the cask numbers differ. GMcL points out that it recently celebrated its twenty-first anniversary... we all sing Happy Birthday. :-) Nose: shoe polish and Brazil-nut butter. Mouth: balanced, with almond oil, argan oil and Brazil-nut butter again. Finish: crushed nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia. Love it. Either it is indeed a different cask, or it has changed dramatically, in the course of two years. 8/10

GMcL: "When you drink this and you see the foam appearing on the wall... that's when you know the whisky's good."

Springbank 8yo (48.5%, Cask Sample, small cask, C#267/28): this was earmarked to be part of a batch of Rundlets & Kilderkins. Nose: Kool-Aid, maple syrup, all sorts of chemical sweetness, as well as butterscotch and cola, in the back. Mouth: soft and sweet, it has gelatine, Kool-Aid and corn syrup. Finish: overly sweet, there is more maple syrup and corn syrup in the finish, distant, faded leather. Good enough, but so sweet! 7/10

Springbank 21yo (49.3%, Cask Sample, Sherry Finish, C#235/9): nose: this one has a surprising coastal influence, with sea breeze, sea spray, but also farm paths. A textbook Springbank, really. Berries, too. Mouth: another soft one, though this has a salty tang without the sea spray. Berries again, a bit of mud. Finish: farmyard, shoe polish, polished wood and caramelised berries. 7/10

GMcL: "The toilet's over there, to the right!"

Longrow 17yo (unknown ABV, Cask Sample, C#480/239): nose: shoe polish and cow pastures. A combination that works a treat. Mouth: more shoe polish and farm paths. Finish: long, shoe polish-y, it has a cooked-elderberry aftertaste. Short notes (heavy tasting), lovely whisky. 8/10

Longrow (unknown ABV, Cask Sample, Red Wine Cask, C#227/27): one might think I can no longer think straight, failing to note ABV and other information, but it is not only me. GMcL does not give all details of the cask, and access to the cask itself is more and more difficult as others are more intoxicated. Nose: lots of fruit, berries and stuff (despite the disclaimer, I seem to be slightly pissed). Mouth: a little bitter, with blackcurrant and a spoonful of mud. Finish: properly bitter, now, with tractor-tyre rubber. I was going to say berries, but really, it is all about the farm-y tones alright. 7/10

Only five drams, this year, which is probably for the better. GMcL valinches very generously and the crowd is more than mildly inebriated (including me). Funnily enough, we also finish ten minutes ahead of schedule as a result -- or has my watch stopped working again?

Back to the Springbank Open Day Bar, then!