07/04/2021 Springbank

Springbank 21yo 1995/2017 (54.7%, The Greedy Angels for Bas Veenendaal, Ivor Johnstone, Ian Park, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 288b): nose: juicy fruits taken off the grill, which probably means there is a bit of char and some smoke too. In no particular order, we find peaches, apricots, cantaloupes and papaya. It becomes smokier and increasingly charred with each whiff, cleverly interlacing the fruit with the trademark farm-y notes: soon, it has farm paths, beaten by the summer sun, tractor saddle, mud cakes, all introducing roasted pineapple. Shortly after that, sherry vinegar is poured onto pink grapefruit and melon slices. It does not fully get rid of the earthy impression, though. Simmering ink and wormwood surface, after a while, and darker fruits show up on the late tip, the kind that leave indelible stains on a shirt -- squashed blueberry and blackberry. Mouth: sharp and citrus-y, the palate sees pink grapefruit too, acidic and coating, balsamic-vinegar-soaked cheese cubes (Parmesan?) and lots of fruit again (melon, apricot, peach), this time given the marinade treatment (more vinegar than wine). The gentle acidity permeates through all cells at the front of the mouth, with the space behind the upper lip to the base of the nose (the philtrum) particularly sensitive to it. Cranberry and shy maracuja join the grapefruit for a lively debate. Miraculously, they all work together to strike a remarkable balance. Finish: long and calmly assertive, creamy, fruity, it develops more apricot and peach flesh, with a splash of wine for good measure. Repeated sipping fans the fruity flames, and the same berries end up here too, alongside maracuja and a touch of rubber. That is right: the acidic/sweet dominant is joined by a very faint bitterness seemingly caused by tar-like black liquorice laces. The creamy feel morphs into something more crumbly, akin to caked coconut cream powder, or sesame halva (a solidified paste). Unless, of course, it is fruits, decaying into a compost cake. In any case, the mouthfeel this leaves behind is very much that of a cake-y paste. Amazeboulanger, this Springbank. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)