Springbank Distillery, Scotland     founded: 1828 | active
For more detailed mapping of the distilleries in the area from our whisky map page, use this link.

Let's mix things up and start with pudding... Strawberries and custard, plums with semolina (flavoured with a vanilla pod), maple pancakes with raspberry coulis and sticky toffee pudding. Wash it all down with a glass of Muscat and a beaker of Calvados and you're onto a winner. The nose is offset a little with a wee portion of caramalised onion, olives and a fir tree (yes, a wee portion of a fir tree..), whislt sourdough wafts in from its nearby rising, proofing and generally getting too big for its boots. But that sweet, fruity edge just refuses to lie down, as sherbert and melon come back for a timely reminder.

The nose was somewhat of a ruse for the savouriness held within the amber liquid. Smoked ham(s), Wensleydale cheese with chutney, the brine from a tin of tuna, paprika and Japanese crackers all feature in the opening ceremony. Those savoury thoughts expand out to mid-Century Scandinavian rosewood unpolished furniture, the feeling of a recently blown out match on the tongue and an olive oily texture (no, we weren't drunk, promise.). Let's not forget the sweetness in its entirety though, as it's back for a second viewing: the crust of a crème brûlée, thick fudge sauce, caramalised kerosene (miraculously, this has cropped up before), strawberry and cream Chupa Chups, licorice, orange. Things spice up a bit with a fair dash of chili and chili oil, balanced out with some ginger & rhubarb jam and pickled lemons. That spicey edge crops up again with some Lebkuchen, nutmeg and finally, a splash of aniseed.

The general consensus on length was this one had a medium-length finish, just inside the penalty box. Both dandelion and Dandelion & Burdock feature prominently, with smoked wood chips and burning oak adding flavour. Sweetness combines to make melting marashmallows on a bonfire, whilst hot sauce, TCP and lime rind give this one's finish a tangy end.

~£58 (70cl)

Whisky Notes: Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins   |   http://www.whiskynotes.be/2012/springbank/spr

We've always scored out of 10 in our group (see number in red box, below), with scores regularly given across that spectrum. The value out of 100 below is adjusted to the scale most commonly used for whisky reviews, to allow for better comparison.

90 / 100