Springbank 15yo Campbeltown Malts Festival'17...

Springbank 15yo Rum Cask Campbeltown Malts Festival'17 (50.0%): Last year in May we traveled all the way from Los Angeles California to Campbeltown Scotland to be a part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2017... The reason wasn't only to drink all kind of marvelous whisky for five days in a row, which we did anyhow, it was really more of a family reunion for us. We spent our entire week with the extended family of Springbank and Glen Scotia and came back with unforgettable memories. Well, and a few special bottles of course including this one. It is a 15 year old single cask Springbank aged in a Guadeloupe Rum barrel bottled exclusively for the Springbank Open Day 2017. The cask was filled in November 2001 and yielded only 218 bottles when bottled on May 25th, 2017... Although we sadly had to miss the festival this year we will be there next year..! Hope to see you all there folks..!

Color: Unoaked Chardonnay with a very faint green hue.
Very slow moving legs around the glass.

Nose: The smell of the field the morning after a stubble burning. Latex gloves and gauze pads. Olive brine, fresh rosemary leaves and spoiled milk. Canned peaches and canned pears. Fruity, briny and a little tart... Adding water freshens it up: Spearmint leaves, sea breeze and fresh pineapple rings. I really liked the nose with a few drops of water.

Palate: Straws, roasted pine nuts and strawberries. Sea salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice and chalk. Reminds me very much cask strength Kilkerrans actually... Gets floral in time: Honeysuckles and hyacinth flowers. Water amplifies the floral notes and also adds the stone fruits to the palate which I had at the nose before. Apricot and peach compote, lightly brewed jasmine tea and white pepper.

Finish: Long with white pepper, green wood and apricot pit notes.

Overall: It is not your usual Springbank but also not exactly what you would expect from a whisky matured for 15 years in a rum cask. In a blind tasting I would bet on this whisky being an ex-bourbon matured below ten years old cask strength whisky. Maybe that's why it reminded me so much a cask strength Kilkerran... It is incredibly vibrant, fresh and raw. Glad to have a bottle but I know it won't last long...

Price: $100

89/100

Campbeltown Malts Festival // June 2017

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