Springbank 1995/2012 ‘Retro Label’ (The Whisky Exchange)

I don’t often comment on the look or design of a whisky bottle or label. Because the contents should be king. But in the case of the Retro Label-series of The Whisky Exchange I just have to. They look fantastic! It’s as if these bottles are from another era. In the case of this Springbank it is also a very fitting label, with the distillery being one of the most retro distilleries out there and all.

But enough about the label now. Here are my tasting notes!

Springbank 1995/2012 (56,5%, The Whisky Exchange ‘Retro Label’)

Nose: Very vegetal with plant sap and cactus juice. There’s a subtle fresh peat that I’d describe as a sort of light version of the lovely, sauerkraut, peaty smell of young Ledaig. What follows is white pepper and chestnuts, with a slight waxiness and wet grass and hay.
Taste: Oily and fatty with loads of white pepper. Very nutty with lemon, pineapple and vanilla. Almost no peat. Slightly boring after that lovely nose.
Finish: A bit dry with lemon peel, almond and oak.

Rating: 84

Enjoyable, yes. But the palate is a bit of a letdown after the interesting and fairly complex nose.

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.