Springbank 10 years old with a hit of Amontillado
The Springbank Sherry Wood series is by now a yearly release I look forward to very much. The 2024 expression arrived late in the year and thanks to my good whisky friend Erik, I was able to get a sample. That saved me from cracking open another bottle, and that I preferred. The holidays were good to me but a few too many whisky bottles were opened, so I like to thin the herd a little before moving on to the next bottles. Thanks for sharing, Erik!
The series are justifiably in high demand among whisky enthusiasts. The quality is great and the price is very okay for what you get. There are also retailers who want to take advantage of the need for these kind of bottlings. This Dutch retailer for instance, tries to pick your bones for three times the RRP. Springbank or the importer should blacklist these kind of retailers, if you ask me, but drop a note if you disagree and think this is defendable behaviour.
Springbank 10 years old Sherry Wood series, Amontillado, bottled at 55 % abv
First things first: This Springbank was distilled in July 2014 and bottled in September 2024, after having matured for the first five years in refill bourbon casks, and then another five years in Fresh Amontillado casks. This resulted in 9900 bottles in Springbank’s Sherry Wood series.
Upon Sipping: We tasted this before during the Springbank Society European Tour in the Summer. Then, it was still a vatting sample. This one comes from the bottle. I love the nose on this expression because a lot of the bourbon influenced Springbank comes through, taking a shortcut towards my nostrils through a field of strawberry. The traditional limestone is omnipresent, totally delicious. In a way, this is also a rather schizophrenic whisky because both sides of the maturation, equally divided over five years, shine at the same moment. That is quite remarkable. On the palate, I pick up nice wooded notes that have a lot of hints of chocolate in it. With a drop of water it becomes milky – like strawberry flavoured milk. The balance on all this is excellent. That must have been some casks!
Word to the Wise: A Springbank you will find yourself returning to every few minutes, to see what new aroma and taste you can discover. Red fruits, typical Springbank minerals, good balance. This series has yet to disappoint me.
Score: 89 points.
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