Impressions from the Springbank Society European Tour

The Springbank Society European Tour stopped in the little town of Zaltbommel on Saturday 3 Augustus 2024. The organization behind this tour could not have chosen a better location. Not only is Zaltbommel an ancient town with lots of architectural marvel, it has hosted a lot of famous visitors too. A sickly Karl Marx spent weeks and weeks here in recovery, while allegedly scribbling away on Das Kapital, and Frans Liszt passed by over the river only to be seduced by the piano play of Suzanne Leenhoff, who was match made into a marriage with painter Edouard Manet. Their wedding took place in Zaltbommel. The town is also the birthplace of the Philips brothers who went on to make a spectacular company that thrives to this day.

Oh, and before I forget. I was born there myself too.

What a happy coincidence that Springbank happened to do a tasting in my hometown then! Well, it must be said (and this is unconfirmed of course), that my dear friend and well known Springbank enthusiast Bram van Glabbeek also has very deep roots in Zaltbommel. That might have been a big influence on the matter. So, there we go, no flight to Campbeltown or elsewhere in the world to enjoy the company of host Andrew Wallace, Sales & Marketing Director at Springbank Distillers. No, this time the whisky struck close to home!

The scenic location of the Gasthuiskapel was filled with Springbank Society members, the rest of the attendees being Springbank and whisky enthusiasts. Both groups had a great evening, as Andrew did his employer justice by being as open, transparent and down to earth as we know and love J&A Mitchell, the parent company behind Springbank and Kilkerran. We got to taste a few, with Campbeltown Loch blended malt as welcome dram. I will highlight what was in our glass, and recap some breaking news that we filtered out Andrew’s explanation accompanying these drinks. Tasting notes were made after the event, since I was driving, we will do it quick fire style.

Sample 1:
Springbank 18 years old, 2024 release, vatting cask sample at 46,8 % abv
This Springbank might well be underway to your local retailer right now. There are 9600 bottles available and the makeup of this batch was quite a surprise. All 50 casks used for this vatting were first fill bourbon casks. So a 100 % bourbon release! Talking about bourbon casks, Andrew shared insights into the future, as he revealed Springbank is talking with a few distilleries in America for using their casks, especially companies that share a similar approach to the whisky business.
General impressions: Without any other cask influence, this is a supremely clean Springbank. On the nose it has the classic limestone, but a lot of fruit notes are in the mix too. Limestone vanilla, now that would be an ice-cream flavour I would like on my cone. The taste hints toward banana mousse, now delicate vanilla, and balanced wood spices. On the finish, this Springbank turns tropical with lemony and pineapple notes in abundance. A Caribbean party in a glass, and no rum got hurt in the process. The winner of the evening, as was proven by showing of hands.
Score (roughly): 91 points

Sample 2:
Kilkerran 16 years old, 2024 release, vatting cask sample at 48,7 % abv
Same as the Springbank, this is also an upcoming release. This batch has more cask variation, with 70 % bourbon, 20 % sherry and 10 % rum. No less than 13.500 bottles are released. We could really notice Andrew was still brimming with excitement about the celebration of 20 years of Glengyle (Travis performed, what a band!). Glengyle of course is that one distillery that was opened in 2004 to save the right to categorize Campbeltown as a whisky region.
General impressions: After tasting the Springbank 18, the more exotic casks in this batch are easy to pick up. Nice contrast. The rum casks certainly put a stamp on this Kilkerran, with a fruity note that I would not exactly describe as tropical. More sugared. There is a lot of butter in there too. On the taste, it is really all over the place, going from vanilla to the obvious rum notes, then some sweetness, to move on to Oreo cookies where you already licked off the filling in between. My, this is fun stuff! Still, there is also a lot of shared Springbank-DNA with subtle hints of limestone and a nice, oily mouthfeel. Not sure if the rum influence won’t outstay its welcome.
Score (roughly): 86 points.

Sample 3:
Springbank 8 years old, Local Barley for 2025, vatting cask sample at 59,6 % abv
This is where we peek a little further in the future. The yearly Local Barley releases are highly anticipated and next year’s release will be a shock to the system. This time, Springbank used the antique Bere Barley, taken from High Park Farm that is owned by Sir Paul McCartney. As if the Local Barley is not popular enough on its own, now we have to fight Beatle nerds to get a bottle. Luckily, there will be roughly 15.000 bottles released of this make, that was matured in 50 % bourbon casks and 50 % sherry casks.
General impressions: The nose seems very dirty in style, so yeah, a true Campbeltown in the glass here. The bourbon and sherry influences are engaged in a fascinating fight. Farmy notes, some sulphur and a hint of hedgehog. I think of firestarter tinder sticks to light your barbecue with. This fiery bottling will lose points on balance, and make up for it with sheer entertainment. The Bere Barley makes it feel really authentic, with the sherry bringing a sweet note too.
Score (roughly): 85 points.

Sample 4:
Springbank 10 years old, Sherry Wood 2024, vatting cask sample at 57,3 % abv
The next instalment in the Sherry Wood Series, this time Springbank infused with Amontillado. We will see more and more of the Springbank character rise from behind the heavy sherries. Remember the first edition, that was almost drowned in PX-casks for most of those 10 years? This version is matured for 5 years in bourbon casks, and then a further 5 years in Amontillado. We have releases in Fino and Manzanilla to look forward to. Which will come first is uncertain, but I am sure both will be highly anticipated. As is this one, that comes out in a few months.
General impressions: Very exotic on the nose with deep red grapes, plums and blood oranges all at once. Underneath is indeed some yellow fruit from pure Springbank. Taking a sip, the mouth is coated with a very sticky toffee substance, very rewarding. Red grape sugars emerge, but the abv makes this quite a fierce drink, with wood spices, nutmeg and cacao powder. With water comes surprising minty freshness and coconut, like drinking a Bounty bar. Funky delight, this one!
Score (roughly): 89 points.

For the sake of readability of this blog, I will conclude here. Andrew ended with some stunning drams after this fourth sample. The fifth was the port wood influenced Society released 20 year old Springbank that I reviewed here.  This led to some musings on the state of Springbank Society; how will the future be for this institution? Since COVID times, the membership is locked. With everybody at home during the pandemic, Springbank noticed an explosion of interest in their brand, which led to the whisky being one of the most hyped single malts in the world. Wrestling with how to keep everybody happy with special attention, which is what the Society should be about, is an ongoing debate among the good people at Springbank. To be continued.

The evening ended with two stunning Longrow. One from the Cage in Campbeltown (a 9 year old Fresh Palo Cortado matured) and a legendary single cask Longrow 100 proof 10 years old selected by the Usquebaugh Society (provided by Bram van Glabbeek). This last Longrow was chosen for a reason. Andrew unceremoniously announced that the Longrow RED series will be terminated. Loud cheers in the audience for this. I guess everybody is a bit done with wine infused whiskies. Anyway, the series will be replaced by a Longrow 100 proof series. Probably not with an age statement immediately, since this will give the freedom to play around with various casks. And yes, in the batch makeup an occasional wine cask might slip in. In any case, something to look forward to! It was a fitting end to a night among whisky nerds and enthusiasts, and Andrew Wallace managed to keep us hooked for the entirety of it.

(All photo’s kindly provided by Loes van Gameren – the photographer that smiles back.)

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