17/02/2021 Springbank

Springbank 17yo 2001/2018 (50.1%, OB for Nick Walker, Fresh Port Hogshead, C#123, 234b): nose: superb wine influence that starts out a bit too loud and quickly comes down a notch. Musk, Madeira wine, black shoe polish, dried prunes, pot-pourri abound, before roasted aromas come up too: black cumin, star aniseed, nigella seeds. It does not reach coffee-grounds levels; instead, it U-turns to reveal dried papaya slices and smoked apricot. There is a soft farm-y note, underneath all that (mossy peat and muddy farm paths), as well as a veil of dark smoke (charcoal-fire smoke, chimney fire and soot). The second nosing sees charred marzipan enter the scene, hand in hand with some kind of liqueur. Mouth: it is strong, not aggressive. The cask made the juice almost syrupy, certainly wine-y. It does not hide its DNA, however: it is distinctly and more-assertively smoky on the palate than on the nose, with chimney smoke, coal and soot, yet also cured meat, pastrami and plums. The second sip brings back the farm, with a tractor's black-leather saddle warmed by the harvest-season sun, rich soil and spilled red wine. Later on, red-onion relish and chilli pickle also make an appearance, almost completely hiding the subtlest woody touch, in the background. Finish: well, this finish is certainly a surprise! It is short and discreet to a fault. Oh! The previous flavours are there alright, but blink and you will miss them. Red onions, cured meat, red-wine sauce, char-grilled game meat (duck breast, I would say), a pinch of soot, black pepper, and a drop of brine to boot. Repeated sipping allows some fruit to come through, plums, prunes or suchlike, coming out of a simmering cast-iron cauldron. Again, it is so quiet one wonders if it was a repressed cask. Fair enough. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, DW)