Scotch distilleries have come and gone, old ones buckle down, new ones seek to make their mark; some have found new life, whilst others have returned to slumber - that's 2025 in Whisky for you. 

Yet one distillery has remained unwavering and resolute in their craft - y'know it, it's Springbank.

Springbank Distillery.

One of the few remaining family-owned Scotch distilleries, Springbank resides in the smallest official whisky distilling region of Scotland, Campbeltown, where it also operates a sister distillery Glengyle (which produces the Kilkerran single malt whisky) - making two of the three active distilleries in the area part of the Springbank family (Springbank itself produces three brands, Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn). Established in 1828 by the Reid brothers, the distillery would soon come into the hands of the Mitchell family when it was purchased by John and William Mitchell - till this day, the Mitchell family continues to own and operate Springbank. Those familiar with Scotch lore would likely be familiar with the history of the region, having once been populous and replete with over 30 distilleries in just the small area, yet as booms and busts go on into eternity, Springbank would find itself as one of the last still standing.

Springbank's kept the traditional practice of floor malting. 

It might be a tad romantic but few would argue that a good deal of why Springbank has never really faltered comes down to the distillery's traditional values - whether it be how it markets itself, how much whisky it produces, and how the whiskies are produced (like keeping the laborious floor malting practice); every bit of it remains incredibly... sane and sound. It's as boring as a good business ought to be, and as exciting as a whisky distillery should be. No fancy marketing, never pumping out gallons just to meet ever growing sales targets, with then the emphasis being on producing great whiskies in a traditional practice. That keeps the business operating smoothly - because like it or not, whisky distilleries are businesses after all - and the whiskies that come out incredibly exciting to fans and of undeniable quality. With Springbank there's hardly a situation where fans groan about captivating marketing puff talk only to find that the whisky is overpriced and under par in quality. And so much like the girl who cried wolf, whilst most distilleries have found it increasingly harder to galvanise fans to their next new indistinguishably similar (perhaps even same) whisky releases, Springbank's releases have consistently sold out and continues to get the people going with each new release.

And that goes for the newly released Springbank Vintage series too. The newly announced and launched annual series is conceptualised to showcase some of Springbank's oldest whiskies, each dated back to the vintage of its distillation, as well as having enjoyed long maturations in a range of casks. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, nothing repackaged as something else - just good old whisky, cask and time. The idea here is then simply to showcase the deep influence these casks have on the Springbank spirit - which also happens to run counter to the big non-age statement (NAS) trend where whiskies cut as close as they can to the legal 3 year requirement.

The first of the series is thus the Springbank 1998 Vintage (2025 Edition), which has been entirely aged in Sherry casks since 1998 and has been bottled at cask strength which comes in here at 48.3% ABV.

What's even better - and I'd argue is also part of the reason as to why Springbank has stood the test of time - is that having heard calls from fans saying that exciting new releases have been difficult to get a hold of (even having instituted a lottery to keep things as fair as possible), the distillery has this time packaged a tasting set that include a dram of the new Springbank 1998 Vintage. This way that many more fans can be afforded a taste of the new release - and that's a masterstroke in being community and fan friendly for you!

And so, as my tasting set's just arrived, I had to quickly dig in to the new Springbank 1998 Vintage! Let's go!

Whisky Review: Springbank 1998 Vintage (2025 Edition), 48.3% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: It opens rich and candied, of maltose candy along with this deeply soulful and aromatic lacquered agarwood. There’s a waxiness here, even alittle bit resinous, alongside some herbal scents of eucalyptus and cough syrup. Some shoeshine and leather book covers too. It’s got all of that deep yet evocative mustiness of old school wooden libraries housing leather-bound armchairs. Beneath that polish and exotic woods is a richness of candied dates and prunes, coaxed in with some caramel and a lighter touch of white and purple florals. With time it continues to brighten up to give vine peaches and tinned peaches that’s backed up by rich honey and maltose. It’s incredibly seamless and elegant, incredibly compelling and stirring.

Taste: It’s rich and concentrated, yet candied and supple. First comes a wave of honey and vanilla cream laden compote of prune and date preserves. It’s waxy and filled in with maltose, with this depth of exotic lacquered agarwood. Some of that mustiness of old libraries continue to come through. There’s a spiced quality of cloves and candied ginger, with also a satisfying spicy kick that’s backed up by more of that richness of maltose candies. With time it develops some dark cherry notes with also alittle bit of dark chocolate topped with sea salt. 

Finish: Into the finish some savouriness begins to come through of barrel char, leading to a slight bitterness of hazelnut skins and coffee grounds. That mustiness persists, here more so of old wood. It’s a clean and slightly spicy finish, really lively and energetic, with a lingering tone of caramel and vanilla cream. With time it gets more buttery, reminiscent of butter cookies with a splash of sea salt and brandy that stays on past the finish.

My Thoughts

This is a really polished and charismatic whisky that gives off finesse and poise, and really does a great job of being so evocative as to draw you in. It's completely seamless, with everything coming together to take you into a vintage wooden library filled with leatherbound books and armchairs, with then a side of butter cookies, prune and date cake, with a side of caramel drizzled on cream topped over vine peaches.

Even with the some 27 years of age, it's only taken on concentration and harmony, with such a depth of the aromas, leaving behind any sense of heaviness or overt bitterness. It's balanced and complex, yet incredibly cohesive. The aromas are compelling and stirring, with the palate bringing out lovely notes of dark chocolate and sea salt, as well as spices of cloves and candied ginger. The finish balances out the richness of the candied body with some light earthy bitterness, with lingering tones of what brandy (as you would expect in a crepe flambee) and sea salt, only getting more buttery with time. The wood has been enmeshed with the spirit beautifully, only delicately imparting deep Sherried flavours that don't overwhelm, with the wood itself coming through as a persistent note of exotic lacquered agarwood. 

This is a whisky that feels like a charming and well-dressed older gentleman, the sort you'd call dapper. It's got soul, with an understated complexity that reveals itself as you venture further, and is so finely polished - at its core, a total concentration of candied fruit adorned with spices and earthiness, with a side of sea salt for balance.

Utterly impressive with so much charm to appreciate here! 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot