Springbank 10 Years Old Local Barley (2017)
I’ve been looking forward to this! Already the third release in what should be a total of five. The Springbank 10 Years Local Barley is highly sought after, by both collectors and drinkers (and sadly, flippers as well).
After using older barley varieties for the first two Local Barley releases (Bere Barley and Prisma), Springbank now opted for a more modern variety. While it’s no Optic Barley (by far the most used), Belgravia is still one of the more popular barley varieties in the distilling and brewing industry.
The barley was grown at West Back farm, located a mere 4 miles from Springbank Distillery. After being milled, mashed, fermented and distilled at the distillery, it matured in 70% bourbon casks en 30% percent sherry casks.
Springbank 10 Years Old Local Barley (57,3%, OB, 9.000 bts.)
Nose: Sweet notes of citrus, with ripe, luscious oranges leading the way. Even for a Springbank, this is surprisingly mellow on the peat front. Slightly waxy, with a hint of melted butter and a subtle minerality. The balance is top-notch.
Taste: Proper oily stuff. Sweet and citrus-y, with a light touch of brine, tobacco leaves and very soft peat smoke. A tad earthy. Some vanilla and honey too, but they are secondary. Not complex, but right up my alley. Lovely, lovely stuff.
Finish: Dry with a touch of salt, before going down the citrus route. And again, soft peat smoke.
Rating: 89
Another triumph for Springbank. They can’t do much wrong now, can they? At least, not in my book.
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.
Leave a Reply