Springbank 12 Years Old Cask Strength Batch 6 50.3% (J & A Mitchell)

• Campbeltown single malt scotch whisky
• 50.3% ABV, £47 for 70cl
• Score: 85/100

What they say:

Springbank 12 Year Old cask strength 70cl 50.3%ABV
Matured: 60% fresh sherry hogsheads 40% refill sherry butts

Colour: Golden Straw

Nose: Very rich and lush with strong toffee and caramel notes to begin with. The nose then develops to really thick treacle with heavy notes of marmalade. This whisky has a really “meaty” nose with some hints of cinnamon and smoke.

Palate: An amazingly full bodied whisky, rich with a thick and oily texture. It has a very rich taste of oranges, tangerines and clementines as well as a hint of cocoa.

Finish: Sweet and very rich, long finish with a hint of smoke.

What I say:

Slightly surprising, this is one of Mark’s usual recommendations although he hadn’t quite had a group who picked up so much on the sulphuric notes before/ Cue: What’s French for Sulphur? “Sulfur” said the burly Frenchman to much hilarity!

Colour:

Dark gold, rosy amber

Nose:

Heathery, floral, herbal, ester and acetone – wondering if it was port or wine finished

Taste:

Cinnamon bubblegum, sweet heather honey, cloves, juicy fruits, struck matches, fireworks/sulphuric

Finish:

Medium length, warming more slightly sulphuric notes.

Overall:

The Springbank 12 Years Old Cask Strength (currently on Batch #7) but this was batch #6, matured in a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks (hence my inclination to some ‘cask-finished’ taste about this). This was bottled at 50.3% ABV and retails at £47 for 70cl bottle.

Originally sampled at: Jolly Toper Tasting 10/04/2014 dubbed ‘The French Connection’