A bottle of Springbank is pretty hard to come by these days, much less an entire set. So, at the recent Whisky Journey Singapore, we jumped at the opportunity to cover this entire age statement core range. But first, an imperative bit of background on this cult distillery every whisky lover ought to know.

The Springbank Distillery is one of only three surviving distilleries in the Campbeltown region. The distillery is notable for three different labels of single malt: (1) the Longrow label is heavily-peated and comparable to Islay style whiskies, (2) the Springbank label is rich, oily and gently-peated, and finally, (3) the Hazelburn label that is light, sweet and completely unpeated. 

Springbank Distillery was built atop the site of a previously unlicensed operation by founding brothers Archibald and Hugh Mitchell in 1828. It is also the 14^th distillery to be licensed in Campbeltown- a far-flung town located at the end of a western peninsular of Scotland, with a population of less than 5,000 people.

The mid-1800s were a period of boom for Campbeltown which provided all the elements and geography to run successful distillery businesses. Ingredients could be harvested from the fertile barley fields of Kintyre, vast peat bogs, fresh water of the Campbeltown Loch and coal from Drumlemble mine needed to fuel the stills. More importantly, Campbeltown had a deep sea port which enabled shipment of whisky to the fast-growing markets of Glasgow, London and the Americas. 

By the late 1800s, Campbeltown was a bustle of whisky making activity, with as many as 34 whisky distilleries and the self-proclaimed title of "whisky capital of the world". Buildings were blackened with soot from distillery kilns and the smell of peat permeated the streets of the tiny town. Blended whisky bottlers (such as Johnnie Walker and Dewar’s) purchased so much from Campbeltown’s whisky barons that by 1891, Campbeltown was the richest town in the UK on a per capita basis!

Shifting taste preferences

Traditional Campbeltown whiskies were heavily peated. However, the turn of the century brought a change in taste preferences as affluence grew. The expanding middle class showed some disdain for harsh-tasting whiskies that were dubbed “poor man’s liquor”.

The English upper classes now prefer softer and sweeter whiskies closer to the Speyside style. Diligent Campbeltown distilleries adjusted their profiles. In 1900, Springbank tweaked its recipe to begin producing a less-heavily peated whisky. Some peat soil was substituted with neutral-flavoured coal (used to toast malted barley during the whisk-making process).

This resulted in the oily, fruity and gently-peated Springbank expressions that we are familiar with today.

Campbeltown’s fall from grace

Unfortunately, the music stopped rather abruptly and unexpectedly for the Campbeltown whisky barons. First came the “Pattison Crash” in 1906 which brought the Scottish whisky industry to its knees after the shoddy financial practices of whisky companies. A particularly fraudulent Pattison, Elder & Co. was a major whisky seller which manipulated the prices of whisky-backed securities. When Pattison defaulted on its loans in 1896, a wave of bankruptcies swept across the industry and precipitated the crash in the prices of whiskies which persisted into the early 1900s.

Not long later, external shocks came at the worst time in relentless succession. The First World War depressed the economy and the supply of barley dried up. Around the same time, the Temperance movement reached a critical mass and transitioned to a mass movement in English-speaking countries. The Prohibition era officially began as the United States legislatively banned the consumption of alcohol and removed one of the most important export markets for scotch.

On top of this perfect storm, the US stock market crash of 1929 announced the start of the Great Depression. This was a time of poverty and hardship which scarcely justified an expensive luxury drink.

It was difficult for many to find a reason to continue. As soon as Prohibition era began in 1920, Campbeltown distilleries swiftly dropped off like flies.

How did Springbank Distillery make it through this dark period and survive? Many would argue that the answer lies perhaps in Springbank’s distinctive mild peat flavour profile and the Mitchells’ persistence and unwavering commitment to authentic hand crafted methods and family legacy rather than short-term profits.

Making Whisky at Springbank 

Springbank is one of the few Scottish distilleries today to malt, distil, mature and bottle its whiskies within its distillery grounds. Its whisky-making techniques are remarkably traditional and have remained almost the same for 193 years. This includes the same old pieces of machinery are maintained over the years.

While the vast majority of distilleries today use high-tech commercial machinery to malt their barley, Springbank continues to use “floor malting” that is to malt barley the traditional way on the floor of a malting room. Raw barley grains are poured all across a stone malting room and steeped in water to trigger germination. Over the course of 7 days, the distillery staff take shifts every 4 hours to laboriously aerate and turn the barley using a shovel to promote even germination and prevent mould.

After the barley has been malted, it is transferred to the kiln for drying.

The next stage is the kilning process. The damp malted barley is placed on a wire mesh resting floor above a kiln. Peat and coal is then fired up in the kiln, toasting and smoking the malted barley above.

(Image Source: Kensingtonwinemarket.com)

Here is where the three different labels of (1) Longrow, (2) Springbank, and (3) Hazelburn are born. When peat is burnt in the kiln, aromatic smoke permeates the malt and is absorbed as flavour in the malt.

To create the heavily peated Longrow, the malt is smoked for up to 48 hours by burning purely peat in the kiln. To create the milder but still peated Springbank, the malt is toasted for 30 hours with hot air (i.e. by burning coal), then smoked for a mere 6 hours by burning peat. To create the sweet and non-peated Hazelburn, 30 hours of hot air suffices. 

The three labels of whisky are also distilled slightly differently. To create the heavy and oily Longrow, the fermented mixture is distilled twice. The slightly lighter but still weighty Springbank label is distilled 2.5 times. Finally, the fragrant, appley Hazelburn is distilled 3 times.

Most distilleries in the modern age use steam to heat their stills. In a bid to maintain tradition, Springbank heats their stills using a direct oil flame from beneath in the exact same way their forebearers have distilled their whisky.

Springbank Distillery makes a clear and deliberate effort to preserve all its time-tested practices in making whisky by hand-crafted means rather than modern machinery. Their insistence on the hand-crafted methods, direct fire, bottling in-house without chill-filtration or artificial colour can lead others to think of Springbank as idiosyncratic or iconoclastic even. 

Consider Springbank’s insistence of using the traditional “floor malting” method. Flavour-wise, no one can confirm that floor malting contributes a superior taste any more than using commercial machinery would. From a cost perspective, floor malting is less efficient, requires intensive human labour in turning the barley, and up to 5 per cent more expensive than using machinery. 

Indeed, industry critics have found Springbank to be remarkably consistent in quality and consistent in its distinctive taste through the decades. Every step taken to maintain old ways of doing things results in a remarkable consistency that can be tasted by long-time aficionados. 

And with that out of the way, let's get to tasting this entire range of Springbank!

Springbank 10 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

60% Bourbon, 40% Sherry

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Copper.

Aroma: Opens with an immediate freshness to it with a slightly rustic grassiness that gives it an outdoorsy character. Honeyed and lychees giving a light, juicy sweetness, balanced by a subtle aromatic grain and malt note. There’s the faintest bucolic touch of horsehair funk—barely there, but enough to add a hint of raw, organic depth to the aroma.

Taste: Very flavourful; caramel and honey bringing in a rich, golden sweetness that spreads smoothly, paired with the crisp, clear fruitiness of Martinelli apple juice. There’s a light umami quality from a trace of soy sauce adding a signature contrast. Some layers of nuttiness starting with toasted almonds before shifting into marzipan. A little bit of hay and butterscotch sit in the background, while a light spice lingers on the edges.

Finish: Dries out nicely with oak and espresso, leaving behind a warm and aromatic oak note. The oak is distinct but not overbearing, giving just enough tannic structure to balance out the lingering honeyed and nutty notes from the palate.

My Thoughts:

Everything feels bright yet grounded, with a clean but slightly rugged edge and tons of character for a 10-year-old.

This is a really flavourful whisky for an entry-range bottle. It packs that honeyed richness with a light grassy backbone and just enough of that signature Springbank rusticity to keep things interesting. Some notes of oak and spice ties everything together beautifully. Solid, great value expression that speaks to fans even if new drinkers may not immediately notice the quintessential Springbank notes at the beginning.

Too often, people focus only on the high-end expressions of a brand, forgetting that it’s the entry-level bottling that really defines what a distillery is about. And Springbank’s entry range continues to knock many others out of the park.

My Rating: 7/10

Springbank 15 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

100% Sherry

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep amber.

Aroma: This is certainly brighter, very honeyed and rich, with more maltose candy here. There are some tones of lacquered wood, freshly recently lacquered, along with soft outlines of green grape gummies and vine peaches. Some light nuttiness of pine nuts, along with a soft and airy mustiness of wooden attics in cool weather. At the base is vanilla cream, more on grape jellies and sweet oak. It’s aromatic and rich, with a supple quality to it.

Taste: Medium bodied here, still very supple and mellow, with this candied quality of honey and maltose candy. Soft and delicate scents of vine peaches, with abit of ashiness here, alittle bit of that industrial engine smoke. Some savouriness of charcuterie meats, and then it’s on to nuttiness and grilled vine peaches. This is more mellow, not nearly as punchy, and yet is giving a moderate intensity.

Finish: Some light notes of vine peaches, vanilla cream, caramel, and industrial smoke. It’s a deep finish, alittle bit shorter this time, with lingering savouriness of grilled peaches and grilled meats, dotted by some ash.

My Thoughts

This feels really similar in DNA to the 18 Year Old, although here it’s less bold and concentrated, also not as punchy or intense. It’s traded that for a more approachable and accessible mellowness here where this feels more easy going and laidback. It’s less focused or precise, but also lighter, brighter and softer, although it still carries those same flavours. This feels like a perfect gateway Springbank where you get to see what all the excitement is about but is more like a teaser than the full yard. Definitely more of a crowdpleaser for the everyday whisky drinker.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Springbank 18 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

100% Bourbon

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Amber.

Aroma: Big honey and caramel start, littered with these juicy green grapes, beneath which are some softer, alittle more green vine peaches. It’s fresh and vibrant, with lots of honey and vine peaches, a base of brown sugar, and at the same time quite mellow and gently aromatic. It’s not quite intense, instead it’s rich and gentle in its perfume.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, more of those honey and vine peaches which translates to the palate. Some nuttiness as well. Elegant and brighter, yet also really rich and robust, it’s got this very taut and firm body. Towards the back there’s some savouriness of charcuterie oils, some burnt ends. Really good concentration here, also super elegant, and yet has these touches of industrial ruggedness coming from drops of engine oil.

Finish: The nuttiness persists here, crushed pine nuts and walnuts, also more on leather, stewed plums, alittle bit of rancio from dried sour plums. It’s a really long finish, super rich with lots of caramel. Vine peaches, brown sugar and browned leaves linger on, giving an autumnal quality.

My Thoughts

Really, really, really superb. I love so many things about this - it’s rich, has these really rustic perfumed of vine peaches, almost alittle herbal, coming through with all these brown sugars. It’s got such an elegant and gentle perfume that also feels really natural yet concentrated. Wonderfully all of these carries over to the palate, where it then showcases this really robust body that’s very energetic and firm, dotted with some industrial qualities of engine oil - it’s so evocative and yet cohesive. It nails the finish with so much power and length, carrying through all that richness, finally ending off with those more autumnal qualities that linger - and of course those vine peaches.

My Rating: 8/10

Springbank 21 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

65% Port, 25% Bourbon, 5% Rum and 5% Sherry

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Burnished gold.

Nose: Luscious, candied, dense and refined. Right away, there’s a deep, rich sweetness of demerara sugar, then strawberry jam and cranberry preseve, giving it a thick, candied fruitiness. There’s an unmistakable polished oak note and that distinct pleasant musty vellichor of an old library filled with aged books. Subtle hints of Peh Pa Koa syrup lingers in the background that add a light minty-herbal warmth.

Taste: Luscious and incredibly rounded too on the palate. Much of the same structure and weight as 18-year-old, but here, the balance leans more toward orchard fruitiness rather than the ashier, woodier notes of its younger sibling. Very seamless integration of honeyed syrupy sweetness and darker dried fruit tones; a plummy, almost jam-like richness. Faint notes of hay drift in, along with a minor hint of Hacks candy that give just a touch of cooling herbal sweetness.

Finish: Fairly long. Oak takes center stage here, but it’s not just dry wood—it’s aromatic, antique oak with a touch of cocoa and dark chocolate. Dryness settles in very gradually. There’s a subtle ashiness that emerges alongside the deep, almost leathery notes of a tobacco box.

My Thoughts:

Everything feels exceptionally smooth and well-proportioned, with layers of dried fruit, syrup, and oak all working together. Moving on from the bolder, funkier 15 years and 18 years, the Springbank 21 seems to show a different side of the distillery’s character. Where the 18 leans into dried fruit and woodiness, the 21 feels livelier and more vibrant, with a bouncier profile that highlights orchard fruits—peaches, apples, and bright red berries.

Richness is still there, but it’s fresher, less brooding, and more lifted. The oak influence is well-integrated, adding structure without weighing it down. A very satisfying dram that delivers a great balance of fruit, sweetness, and aged character.

My Rating: 8/10

Springbank 25 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

65% Sherry, 35% Bourbon

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Gold.

Aroma: This opens up honeyed, topped off with pine nuts, almonds and wafts of vanilla cream. It’s energetic and robust, dabbed in with industrial notes of concrete and machine smoke. At the center is this deep core of vanilla cream and honey, and as it fans outward, it gives some grassiness and a fragrant mustiness if lacquered wood furniture. With time more polished wood appears. It’s definitely more bright, aromatically intense and robust compared to the 30 year old.

Taste: More of that vanilla cream, before some of the industrial smoke comes back in. It’s got a gentle sweet nuttiness of pine nuts in honey, as well as a side of savoury umaminess of grilled meats. Medium bodied, it’s very robust and energetic, with a deep sweetness that blossoms into that savoury umaminess.

Finish: Baking spices of cinnamon that goes on for some time, layered upon vanilla cream. More on that nuttiness and savouriness of grilled meats too. The finish follows the palate yet with a more spiced profile. Some herbaceousness towards the end of parsley too.

My Thoughts

A solid expression, this has great presence and presents itself as a bold and sturdy expression that’s really robust and energetic, led by a combination of honey and vanilla sweetness, some nuttiness and savouriness of grilled meats. Where this extends beyond the younger expressions is the depth and mellowness of the 25 Year Old - it keeps all that robustness, and yet here there’s more mustiness of polished wood, with the overall flavour profile also leaning darker and more syrupy. It’s got great flavour intensity and punchiness that makes you pay attention as well.

My Rating: 8/10

Springbank 30 Years Old, 46% ABV – Review

80% Bourbon, 20% Sherry

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Copper.

Nose: Understated and refined. Opens softly, leaning into a delicate appley sweetness with a touch of candied lemon, with just-as-present vanilla cream sitting alongside faint pine nuts that add a subtle nuttiness. There’s a feinty, slightly minty quality that gives the aroma a lifted edge, while a mild flintiness lingers in the background, adding an extra layer of structure.

Palate: Mellow and elegant as well, though with rich orchard fruits and creaminess. Opens with a note of honey in plain yoghurt; vanilla is seamlessly woven throughout in a smooth and creamy foundation for the sweetness of honey and light fruitiness to express.

As it develops, a growing mintiness begins to take hold along with lacquered wood, along with that familiar Springbank oiliness of prosciutto, bringing up a savory depth with unmistakable fusel oil note that gives Springbank its signature industrial character.

Finish: Vanilla carries through, joined by a lingering mintiness and a hint of parsley. The oak influence is present but not overpowering, offering a dry, toasted nuttiness that rounds things out.

My Final Thoughts:

This is probably the most restrained and nuanced of the entire Springbank lineup. It’s clean, composed, and subtle. The 30-year-old leans towards the more refined and dairy-creamy side of Springbank, with a fair bit of nuttiness and a prominent mintiness at the back.

The prosciutto oiliness and fusel oil notes are there to offer more character. Tasting through the range, it’s clear that this isn’t a straightforward linear progression—each expression leans into different cask influences and characteristics. The 30 is more delicate and understated than expected, with the creaminess and mintiness being the more interesting notes.

It's hard to go wrong with the 18.

If you’re looking for something bolder and richer, the 25 or even the 18 might be more up your alley.

My Rating: 8/10

@CharsiuCharlie