Springbank 1989/2004 Port Wood

Springbank! That was definitely one of my favorite distillery visits so far. Often an enjoyable distillery visit means I will start exploring more expressions from that distillery. That hasn’t been the case this time. This is actually the first Springbank reviewed on Words of Whisky. As it turned out, this one didn’t sent me running to the shop to try some of their newer stuff.

Springbank 1989/2004 (52,8%, OB, Refill sherry & Port pipes, 7200 bts.)

Nose: Leather and old books are followed by peanuts and peanut shells. Then some sweeter port notes appear, raspberry and cherries. Also a mineral aspect. Not very complex and a bit closed.
Taste: Prickly, lots of alcohol. Luckily also some pineapple and some sweeter red fruits. But it is bitter and a little bit dry. And the alcohol is just too present. Even adding ample water doesn’t help.
Finish: Nothing very distinct here. Too short also.

Rating: 77

A disappointment. Beforehand I was pretty excited I got to try this whisky, but it just isn’t very good. The nose is okay, I’ll give ’em that much.

Thanks to Michael for the sample.

Thijs Klaverstijn

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.

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