Springbank 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) - 2024 bottling

Despite recent price increases, the consensus is that this is about as good as it gets for a standard distillery release. We're not alone in noting how wonderfully complex it is for a ten year old. Prolific whisky writer, Serge Valentin from whiskyfun.com rates it as one of his desert island malts. Its style is summed up by Ingvar Ronde, the editor of the Malt Whisky Yearbook as "fresh & briny on the nose, with citrus fruit, oak and barley, plus a note of damp earth, then sweet on the palate, with developing brine, nuttiness, vanilla toffee, coconut oil and drying peat." Every sip makes you understand why Springbank is special. Bourbon casks are primarily used, allowing the distillery character to shine through. Sherry casks are also employed for added body. The ratio usually falls around 60% / 40%, but that can vary between releases. It's this whisky that continues to set the bar for everything else Springbank make - and it does so with aplomb. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Other reviews... [+/- 2024 bottling] Colour: white wine. Nose: I get the impression that SB 10 is becoming increasingly earthy, dirty, laden with soot, basalt, oyster shells, slightly rancid olive oil, mustard, slags, and various yeasts—everything we love, though it’s perhaps not quite to your new neighbour’s taste, just to be clear. SB 10 will never replace a good, easy Champagne blanc de blancs (not entirely sure about that last remark, S.). Mouth: austere, intensely saline, peppery, even dirtier on the palate, with striking bitterness and that unmistakable oily texture. Grilled aubergines come close, before lemon peel and a generous glass of fino sherry ride to the rescue. And it’s not the first time one gets the impression they’ve poured a bit of Longrow into the vatting tank. Finish: long, with that wonderfully discordant sensation of an oily yet razor-sharp malt. The aftertaste is saline, peppery, mezcal-like, and lemony. Comments: perhaps it’s that untamed, uncommercial edge that makes this so sought after. Go figure; we, of course, adore it, as ever.
91 points - whiskyfun.com

Collectors note: Springbank's labels almost always arrive with minor wearing and markings, most often to the top of the front labels. This is unavoidable. If you are likely to be disappointed by minor label scuffing, we recommend you don't buy these whiskies.