Springbank 20 Year "Starkicker" Private bottling 2000 700mL

A 20 year old Springbank distilled in 2000 and bottled in 2020 for the Starkicker syndicate, one of the private groups that bought casks directly from the distillery. It matured in fresh sherry and port hogsheads and was bottled at 43.4% ABV.

About This Whisky

This bottling came from spirit distilled in 2000 and filled into fresh sherry and port hogsheads, then left for 20 years in Springbank's own warehouses. Fresh casks, filled for the first time with whisky, give a lot of fruit and colour; the port wood adds red berries and a slightly jammy note. It was bottled in 2020 at 43.4%, a natural strength that reflects two decades of slow evaporation in a damp Campbeltown warehouse.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Red berries and raisins, sweet sherry, polished oak and a salty, coastal note.
• Palate: Soft and fruity, with plum jam, milk chocolate, toffee and gentle spice.
• Finish: Medium-long, with dried fruit, oak and a faint thread of smoke.

Serving & Food

At a gentle 43.4% this needs no water. Serve at cellar temperature in a copita and give it a little air. Pair with duck breast and cherry sauce, a fruit-studded panettone, or a slice of Stilton.

How to Enjoy

Anyone after softer, fruit-led Springbank, and those who follow the syndicate bottlings.

Product Details

About the Distillery

In the years after its reopening, Springbank raised money by offering casks to the public, some for as little as a few hundred pounds, and leaflets for the scheme were tucked into bottle boxes. Many buyers pooled their money into syndicates. Starkicker was one of them. Its casks were distilled from the mid-1990s to 2000 and have been bottled by the distillery at various ages since 2017, each under the Starkicker name. The cash these sales brought in helped Springbank rebuild its stocks after a lean decade.