Springbank 12 Years Old CS Batch #12
The last time I reviewed one of these, it was a very happy experience. I feel like the Springbank Cask Strength bottlings are almost always a can’t miss. One even better than the other, and always very fairly priced.
Today I’ll review the twelfth batch, which was released in 2016. It is a vatting consisting of 65 percent sherry casks, and 35 percent bourbon casks. That’s a nice ratio, right?
Springbank 12 Years Old CS Batch #12 (54,1%, OB)
Nose: Lots of brine, but also leather and subtle wood smoke. A touch of tobacco, a whisper of triple sec, and some dark chocolate too. Finally some wet rocks, limestone and ginger. Lovely balanced.
Taste: Fat and oily mouthfeel with pepper, peat and caramel. A warming embrace. Lots of spices (ginger, nutmeg, cloves). The cigar tobacco and leather also make a comeback. Quite delicious. Oh, and some oranges too!
Finish: Soft peat and lingering spices.
Rating: 90
Maybe a bit rougher than batch #9 was, but singularly tasty as well, so I’ll give it the same rating. Only seems fair.
Photo: Master of Malt
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
Interested how much springbankwhisky is a1