Springbank 18yo for The Nectar Belgium

Springbank hasn’t really done it for me so far. I visited their distillery and loved every minute of it. Their traditional ways are great and the importance of Springbank to the community is super. But their actual spirit isn’t really up my ally. Objectively I know they make good whisky. But there’s always a subjective element when it comes to tasting whisky.

The Springbank I review today has been specially bottled for The Nectar Belgium and is supposed to be real cracker. I was part of a blind tasting I participated in, although I didn’t actually taste this one blind, because I missed the deadline. But the consensus among the other participants was that this Springbank is pretty damn good. Here are my findings.

Springbank 18yo (58,7%, OB bottled for The Nectar Belgium, 210 bts.)

Nose: Waxy and grainy with a hint of peat smoke. Also some porridge (which confirms the grainy part for me) and minerals/wet rocks. Then a more fruity aspect with lemon, but also vanilla and some brown sugar. Fun nose, pretty complex.
Taste: More smoke and vegetal peat with pepper. Also lemon, but now with grapefruit in the mix as well. Lots of ex-bourbon fruit notes.
Finish: More pepper, grains and a slight bitterness.

Rating: 86

The pepper is a bit overpowering on the palate, but the nose is excellent. I actually quite like this, although not as much as some people do. But keep in mind that this is the highest I’ve ever rated a Springbank.