An 11-year-old Springbank Local Barley bottled in December 2022, again made from Belgravia barley grown at Glencraigs Farm near Campbeltown. It came from a mix of 55% sherry, 35% bourbon and 10% rum casks and was bottled at cask strength, 55.1% ABV.
About This Whisky
This bottling was distilled in May 2011, the same month as the 2021 edition, and given one more year in wood. The difference is the cask mix. Where the 10-year-old was all bourbon, this vatting drew on 55% ex-sherry, 35% ex-bourbon and 10% ex-rum casks. It was bottled in December 2022 and released early in 2023, 15,000 bottles in all, at natural strength with no chill filtration or colouring.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Papaya, mango and lemon to open, with a light floral note, barley sugar, sea breeze and a thread of peat.
- Palate: Citrus, manuka honey and pear drops, golden syrup and brown sugar, turning salty and mineral with time.
- Finish: Soft peat smoke rounds things off, with a little ginger and honey.
Serving & Food
Serve it straight at around 18°C in a tulip glass; water can flatten the texture, so add it sparingly. Grilled prawns with chilli and lime, Hainanese chicken rice, or a ripe mango dessert pick up the tropical side.
How to Enjoy
Local Barley followers comparing the same harvest at 10 and 11 years, and anyone who likes fruit-forward Springbank with a salty finish.
Product Details
Distillery: Springbank
Country: Scotland
Region: Campbeltown
Category: Single malt Scotch whisky
Series: Local Barley
Barley: Belgravia, Glencraigs Farm, Kintyre
Distilled / Bottled: May 2011 / December 2022
Age: 11 years old
Cask Mix: 55% sherry, 35% bourbon, 10% rum
Outturn: 15,000 bottles
ABV: 55.1%
Proof: 110.2
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Springbank makes three distinct single malts on one Campbeltown site. They start from the same floor-malted barley but part ways in the kiln and the stillhouse. Springbank itself is lightly peated and distilled two and a half times. Longrow, first made in 1973, is heavily peated and distilled twice, and showed that a smoky, Islay-style malt could come from the mainland. Hazelburn, first distilled in 1997, is unpeated and distilled three times. Switching between the three is a matter of changing the kiln fuel and the way the stills are run.