52,5°
Distillery : Springbank - Campbeltown
Ex-Bourbon Barrels and De Toren Refill Malbec Barriques Finish
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2020
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 55 ppm
Springbank launched the Red range in 2012. These are Longrow aged in double maturation, first in Bourbon casks, then finished for several years in wine casks. The result has proved popular with enthusiasts, and now a new limited edition is created every year, except 2016, with a different finish each time. This one, bottled at the end of 2020 and on sale in 2021, is the 9th. The casks used for the finish contained Malbec wine from the South African company De Toren. 10,000 bottles were produced.
Let's Taste It :
Thick, viscous liqueur with hints of candied cherries, amarena and cranberries. Fermented, cooked wine. Cough syrup. With the addition of water, it becomes woody, amber, with a whiff of smoke. Red fruits, gooseberry, blackcurrant, blackberry. A good slice of soot. Slightly sulphurous. Tannins, cinnamon. On the palate, very pleasant, raspberry, cherry, tamarind, then spices, pepper, cumin, paprika, it's warm, a pinch of nutmeg, black bark, humus. A bit of sweetness, with jam filling and doughnut. Even the finish is bursting with red fruits, quite long, a little too much blackcurrants and strawberry ice cream. Nutmeg again, almost bitter. Tinder wood.
In Short,
It's very well made, with a tasty finish and delicious on the palate, although I found it to be strong on red fruits. The nose is a little acidic, and despite its complexity I found it too rich. Normally I like finishes in wine casks, but here I thought it was overdone. Probably Malbec, which is a very powerful grape variety used for Cahors wine, is a bit too strong for me. Others will certainly find it to their taste.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Steve Hackett - Shadow of the Hierophant
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