Springbank Whisky Sample 18 Year Old 2024 Release (30ml, 46%)

Springbank Whisky Sample 18 Year Old 2024 Release (30ml, 46%)

While the standard Springbank 18 Year Old is typically a marriage of Sherry and Bourbon casks, the 100% Bourbon Cask expression is a cult favorite. It strips away the heavy spice and dried fruit of the sherry wood, allowing the legendary "distillate character" of Springbank to be seen in high definition.

This is Springbank at its most coastal, tropical, and "industrial."

Tasting Notes

Nose: An immediate explosion of tropical fruit—grilled pineapple, ripe mango, and passion fruit. The Bourbon wood provides a thick layer of vanilla bean and honeycomb, but it is quickly cut by the "funk": old engine oil, salty sea spray, and a touch of wet flint. It smells like a dunnage warehouse situated right on the Atlantic coast.

Palate: The texture is exceptionally oily and mouth-coating. The palate leads with a creamy "lemon curd" sweetness, followed by savory notes of salted butter on toasted sourdough. The smoke here is very different from the sherry version; it is more mineral and ashy, reminiscent of a cold hearth. Mid-palate, you'll find green olives, grapefruit pith, and a distinct waxiness.

Finish: Very long, clean, and bracingly coastal. The tropical fruit sweetness lingers, but it is the salt and the soft, earthy peat smoke that dominate the end. It finishes on a note of toasted coconut and a lingering, peppery spice.