Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A Red Day at Springbank Distillery
This article contains news about:
- a once in a generation stills repairs
- older vintage releases replacing Springbank 25
- the return of Springbank 100 proof
- a possible core range Springbank Local Barley
- bottling problems for Kilkerran
The year 2025 is promising to be quite a unique year in the long and eventful history of the Springbank Distillery. As the dedicated group of loyal fans known as the Springbank Stallions gathered in Campbeltown in the week of 20 January, it was not hard to collect all the stories. We did a few tastings with Findlay Ross and Ranald Watson, and since these are the high up guys at J&A Mitchell, you are sure to hear some interesting information. Listening to them, we can conclude the team is faced with some challenges that could easily be described as “once in a generation”. On top of that, on Thursday, the 23rd of January 2025, our phones started ringing with an unusual noise. A storm warning: red alert. Éowyn was coming!
As soon as the warning was issued, some of us jumped into our jackets and ran over to the Springbank shop. We just attended a tasting at the Ardshiel Hotel with a friendly match between three Springbank samples and three Glen Scotia samples. The sky outside was blue and calm, a surreal scene considering what was coming. While we walked, the news reached us that the decision was made to shut down Springbank for an entire day on Friday, 24 January 2025. Somehow, a weird tension filled the air. The ladies at the shop were giggling while they filled our bottles from forever alive solera demijohns. The prospect of an unexpected day off. In the evening, after a spine-tingling Springbank 21 years old tasting with Frank McHardy (pictured), we walked into the stillhouse just to catch the tail end of production. Quite literally actually, as few remaining drops trickled from the still. Calm, serene scenes, before the storm would hit.
Cutting the stills
Talking about those stills, I understand there is going to be some extensive work done on them this year. A major operation for Springbank, with Forsyths coming to dismantle parts of them and meticulously restoring them to another few decades of performance. It seems that some parts are as thin as a Cola can, whereas other parts are thicker than Forsyths would create them. Hence, only the necks of the stills are cut out and taken away. The redundant copper might make for nice tourist items.
When storm Éowyn had passed, we visited the distillery on our yearly tour. We saw amazing equipment, including a traditional heat exchanger. Our guide’s eyes twinkled when I asked him what he thought of the removal of parts of the stills. It is an amazing moment in the history of the almost 200 years old distillery! He knew that the wash still had been worked on last in the 1960s, the two spirit stills in the 1970s. Whatever the case, much needed maintenance since the last time it happened, at least 50 years ago. It is estimated the stills will be gone for 4 to 6 weeks after distilling ends in September. This is the usual schedule; all staff move to the Glengyle Distillery anyway to produce this year’s batches of Kilkerran Campbeltown Malt.
Creative with stocks
Highs and lows are part and parcel of a distillery going through the decades. We have seen the much beloved Springbank 21 years old disappear from the shelves for a while in the past. Sharing this fate this year will be the Springbank 25 years old. The last batch has been released. The team is going to fill the gap with older vintage releases, with a 1998 being the first one planned. Where one could imagine that the pricing for a more than 25 year old malt could exclude lots of fans, the intention is to keep the pricing of the “25” in place for these vintages. Think around something just north of 500 pounds. That will do until the 25 years old returns are a regular core expression, if at all. Perhaps in 2043 (this being 25 years onwards from 2018, when production was doubled).
Being confronted with the inventory of available stock does not mean the Springbank team is sitting in a corner and crying about what is lost. Many endeavours make for an exciting future if you like to DRINK Springbank. If anyone here reading is old enough to remember the Springbank 100 proof bottling, they might be delighted to learn that this expression will return. It will not, however, be a 10 years old but rather a 5 years old. Nothing to be sad about if the 100 proof release for the Springbank Society is anything to go on; that was an excellent bottling. Pricing will be around the same level as the regular 10 years old. We already learned before that there will be a Longrow 100 proof edition too.
Permanent Local Barley release?
The Springbank Stallions gathered in Campbeltown to do their yearly themed tasting. In 2025, they decided to taste all of the modern Local Barley releases. If anybody wonders, this one is considered one of the best of these latter day instalments, according to the Stallions group. Guiding the tasting was Ranald Watson, who told us about farmers that are very willing to do projects with Springbank these days. They come offer it themselves. Indeed, the stream of local barley can be so consistent, that the team is contemplating doing a “100% Campbeltown” release as a core expression. That will be exciting to see. Regionality in single malt whisky might well be the future of Scotch. The maltsters at Springbank might be less happy. Local barley is much more robust to work with. They will have to earn their keep!
All this fantastic news about new whisky is useless if you cannot put it in a bottle. One would think that is something never to worry about. Yet, this is exactly what keeps people at Springbank awake at the moment. The glass producer/supplier had a fire and some lines were destroyed. This were just the lines that produced Springbank and Kilkerran glass bottles. It is expected that it won’t affect Springbank releases, but you might see some Kilkerran pop up in tall bottles again for a while. No worries, this will keep your collection diverse.
History will look back at 2025 for all these news items from Campbeltown. I will never forget that hellish storm sweeping over the Loch, literally pushing the sea back up from the shore.
Reports came in from destruction and damages on Islay, while our lamp lights flickered on walls and ceilings that were getting pounded at by furious winds. Éowyn impressed us deeply. Walking along the promenade, eyes turned away from the Campbeltown Loch, sea water flushing us through and through, putting the pneumonia straight inside us, we could not help longing for a dram. I think I can speak for all of the Stallions when I say the entire team made up for any discomfort from the storm with absolute hospitality. After all, who would have want to miss such an historic event?
Springbank Private Bottling for Distillery Visitors, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: For whoever visits the distillery, there is a mini (5 cl) sample available to take home. It is assumed that this is just a small filling of the regular 10 years old, but let’s taste one anyway, shall we?
Upon Sipping: I have a hard time believing this is indeed the 10 years old. There is a strong farmy note that runs straight through the regular attributes that make up for a standard Springbank. A peaty, earthy wall lies between the traditional limestone and fruitier notes like tangerine and vanilla. The taste proves to be a little bit more traditional, heavy hung on vanilla and a smoky wood flavour. I pick up so much more peat in this little bottling, and I quite like it. The palate remains oily, making it very Springbank in taste, but I would not be surprised if a cask of Longrow accidentally rolled into the mix. A funny twist, giving it an industrial vibe.
Word to the Wise: Just lovely. Delightful to play the guessing game with.
Score: 88 points.
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