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springbank-14-years-old-bourbon-wood-whisky

Blind Tasting #6: Springbank 14 Years Old Bourbon Wood (2017)

12 December 2017 2 comments Article Campbeltown, Scotland, Springbank, Tasting Notes

During the Blind Tasting Competition, every once in a while it just clicks. Yesterday was such a day, and it led to a maximum score of 100 points. From the first sniff out of the sample bottle, I was convinced I knew what I was nosing and tasting.

To me it smelled like, and tasted like Springbank. It is one of the few distilleries left with a very distinctive style, in large part thanks to their way of doing stuff. Old-fashioned in every which way. In theory, that makes it a fairly easy whisky to recognize in a blind tasting.

But even though I was 99,9 percent convinced I was drinking Springbank, I still had to figure out which one exactly. I could tell it was bourbon matured, not too old, and that it contained roughly 55 percent of alcohol. So my mind immediately wandered towards the Springbank 14 Years Old Bourbon Wood that was released earlier this.

Here’s what it turned out to be:

Springbank 14 Years Old Bourbon Wood (55,8%, OB, 2017)

Nose: Some vanilla sweetness and yellow fruit (ripe banana, peach), but also gentle peat and brine. Plenty of wet rocks and some ozone, accompanied by straw and burlap.
Taste: Oily, tasty, and just pretty brilliant stuff. Gentle peat and whispers of brine. A tad salty. Also fruity notes of oranges, peach and lime zest, as well as vibrant pink grapefruit. Great balance.
Finish: Lingering, gentle whispers of peat. Fruits. Long.

Rating: 90

Just a wonderful, incredible whisky. Such a complexity on the palate, with a fruitiness I haven’t often encountered yet in a Springbank. My favourite so far of this edition of the Blind Tasting Competition.

Thijs Klaverstijn Kingairloch 3
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.

Tags: 14yo, blind tasting competition, bourbon wood, campbeltown, springbank

2 comments

  • Erik van der Loo 25 December 2017 at 16:12 - Reply

    Beste Thijs,

    Dank voor je review van deze whisky. Sinds enkele dagen stond er een pakje in de vorm van een fles onder de kerstboom. Aan de vorm had ik het sterke vermoeden dat er een Springbank fles in zat. Dat klopte achteraf. Onze jongste zoon had mijn naam bij het lootjes trekken te pakken, en heeft deze uit Engeland waar hij studeert meegenomen. Een mooi geschenk. Hij had hem al een tijdje staan en heeft dus gelukkig niet de “hoofdprijs” betaald.

    In bovenstaande review schrijf je: “It is one of the few distilleries left with a very distinctive style”. Ben ik het mee eens. Echter, ik heb recentelijk de Bunnahabhain GM 2007 opgengetrokken. https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/92476/bunnahabhain-2007-gm
    Ik had sterk het gevoel dat deze richting de Springbank stijl gaat. Ken jij deze, en herken jij dat ook?

    Hartelijke groet,

    • Thijs @ Words of Whisky 25 December 2017 at 16:30 - Reply

      Hi Erik, mooi cadeau! Ik ken de specifieke fles die je noemt niet, maar ben wel bekend met Bunna in zijn algemeen. Persoonlijk zou ik niet zeggen dat Bunna veel overeenkomsten heeft met Springbank. De reguliere Bunnahabhain is bijvoorbeeld gemaakt van praktische ongeturfde mout. Dan heb je nog geturfde Bunnahabhain, maar dat is in mijn ervaring een veel medinalere turf dan Springbank, en bovendien is deze ook zwaarder geturfd. Maar zoals gezegd, dat zijn puur mijn eigen bevindingen 🙂

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