Springbank 10 Year
What’s your favorite distillery? It’s a question that seems to come up frequently in conversation among whisky fans. One of the more common answers that I’ve heard to this most important of questions is the most famous of the three distilleries found in the Campbeltown region of Scotland—Springbank.
Over the years, Springbank has become one of the most beloved single malt distilleries in the world. I don’t know very many single malt fans who don’t love Springbank. Not only do they present their whisky in a “craft” presentation (non chill-filtered, natural color, at least 46% ABV, and with age statements), they make a highly characterful, distinctive whisky that does well in both bourbon and wine cask maturations and at both young and old ages. The only thing that frustrates many of us about Springbank is its availability—because it’s a small distillery in extremely high demand, it can be difficult to find the distillery’s bottles on the shelf. My understanding is that it’s especially difficult to obtain Springbank in the UK, as much of the whisky is shipped overseas. For those of us in the US, Springbank isn’t quite as hard to find. Most good US liquor stores will usually have Springbank 10 in stock and perhaps an older expression as well, although the cask strength 12 year old and other limited edition expressions are often very hard to find (at least in my experience).
The 10 year old is Springbank’s entry level expression. As I mentioned, it’s usually the easiest to find Springbank whisky (and for that matter, the easiest to find Campbeltown malt, at least in the US, where Glen Scotia and Kilkerran are usually more rare… again, based only on my personal experience). It’s aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks—supposedly about 60-70% ex-bourbon.
As a bit of an aside, one other thing that does slightly annoy me about Springbank is the lack of information on the bottle. Sure, it’s got the most important basics (age, NCF status, and natural coloring information), but that’s about it. It would be nice if they told us a bit more about the casks used for maturation. On the other hand, at least they spare us of any exaggerated history or flowery descriptions. Anyhow, on to the tasting notes.
Springbank 10 Review
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Region: Campbeltown
Age: 10 years
ABV: 46%
Non chill-filtered
Natural color
Nose
Peach. Lemon. Apples. Sea salt. Coastal. Malted milkshake. Hints of bourbon. Vanilla. Butterscotch. Fig. Vegetal. Heather. Leather. Dried fruits. A touch of sourness.
Palate
A touch of peat… vegetal and funky. Light fruits, with a touch of citrus. Briny and coastal. Sea salted caramel. Vanilla. Honey. Cereal grains. Cocoa. Bananas. Milk chocolate. Butterscotch. Slightly floral. A little bit sour and a little bit funky (both in a good way that adds complexity). The bourbon cask influence is clear, but hints of sherry maturation are to be found as well. The mouthfeel is full, rich, and oily. Quite complex for it’s age.
Finish
Medium in length. Floral, with a bit of funk and a touch of peat smoke. Cocoa. Sherry. Light fruits. Lemon. Honey. Leather.
Overall
Such a wonderful balance and integration of flavors, with a wonderful mouthfeel. This is a quintessential single malt. If someone asked me what scotch whisky tastes like, I’d point to Springbank 10. It has a little bit of every region of Scotland in it—peaty, coastal, floral, fruity, and funky. It may not be as glamorous as other Springbank expressions, but it’s damn good whisky.
The first time I bought a bottle of Springbank 10 several years ago, I finished it off faster than any other bottle of whisky I’d ever had (and then immediately bought another bottle). It’s been a staple in my house ever since.
SCORE: 88/100
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, Springbank 10 is one of the most criminally underrated drams in the single malt scene. Sure, Springbank itself is anything but underrated—whisky fans clamor for many (or all) of the distillery’s releases, especially the 12 year cask strength and any other limited release expressions. Springbank may be the hottest distillery in all of Scotland. But the 10 year old expression seems to get at least a little overlooked. All the talk in whisky circles is about the small batch and single cask Springers, while the 10 year continues to quietly chug along with it’s consistent excellence. Sure, I love the more expensive and limited Springbank expressions, but when I can’t find them, I’m happy I still can enjoy a bottle of this classic 10 year old.
Oh, and to answer the question that began this post… what is my favorite distillery? Well, I don’t know that I have a favorite, but Springbank would certainly be close to the top of my list. Really close.
Buy Again? Yes. I’ve bought many bottles of Springbank 10 over the years and will hopefully buy many more. It is a little pricy for a 10 year old single malt (around $70 near me), but it’s worth the premium. There are few 10 year old whiskies with as much character as this one.
Drink This Not That: Drink this. If you can’t find Springbank near you, try another entry level Campbeltown whisky, such as Kilkerran 12 (which is just as good if not better, in my opinion) or Glen Scotia Double Cask (which isn’t quite as good, but is nice for the price).
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
