@@WhiskyGeek l found a bottle of The Springbank 10 online so picked one up to try they also had Kilkerran 12 Year Old and a hazelburn 10 but l just went for the Springbank 10
Great review Ben. Bought my first (old bottle label and can't read date stamp) about 3 months ago at 65 US$. Liked it so much grabbed another. Then went out and bought their 12 year CS and 15 year. Even better. Springbank is making great stuff. CHEERS!!
The 2017 Springbank 10 was magnificent. The 2018 bottling was suddenly a drop in quality, maybe a bad batch. After that, I have not tried the newer bottling of Springbank 10. I have a bottle of older SB 10 (2016) with black label on it. It was equally magnificent. I only pour myself a SB 10 once a while because replacing it with recent price is just impossible. I may not be chasing Springbank for a few years before the price go back to a sane level.
I'd best savor the end of this bottle then! Always a little sad to hear people are finding less in engagement in recent bottles. At least the 12 CS and 18 seem to be bob-on! (only ones from the recent batch I've been able to try) Cheers Marty 🥃👍
@@WhiskyGeek had the 10 and 15 from the October 2021 batch and they are both superb. Got both for RRP and no rushing around. Smaller retailers not putting them online or on display because of the scalpers. Bottles are available, not many, but there’s definitely a few out there in the wild still. 3 shops I’ve been to have all had one or two bottles from October batch still in stock Dec/Jan.
I’ve just bought a 10 and a 15 at rrp from a small shop with no online presence. The 2021 10 is magnificent whisky, as good as it gets at anywhere near its price.
Great review Ben. As you said, with your review this gem will even more hard to find (if at all). Hope you can make it to Campbeltown....enjoy! Slàinte mhath
Ben, I'm a new follower, so I can't talk about your review history in general. But this.... I must say, I really enjoyed. Really genuine work on your part. I love the way you choose your words when describing your impressions of the dram. I'll definitely be back for future reviews! Slàinte 🥃
Thanks Benny & good to have you on board! I've always tried to be genuine and unashamed of my opinions, even when it bucks the trend. It's so transparent when people aren't! I spend far too long writing whisky notes haha 😁 Cheers 🥃👍
I go to Campbeltown once a year to stock up on Springbank/Longrow etc. It’s the only way I can get it these days. They seem to keep a decent stock in the town for those who make the pilgrimage. I think you will have to go on a weekday as the Springbank distillery shop is closed at weekends (weird). The town itself is a bit tired for want if a better word but the distilleries are special - old school, rough and ready, shoestring budget establishments where almost everything from malting to bottling is done by hand. It’s a different vibe from Islay.
Thanks for letting me know about weekends! That could have been disappointing 😅 I'd love to pick up a cage bottle whilst there too but they seem to disappear fastest of all. Cheers Greig 🥃👍
Hi Ben haven’t actually had (or found) springbank with the new labels, still got some bottles of the earlier labeling, suppose the juice inside is the same but I prefer the earlier labels . Good review Ben think I’ll crack open one quite soon, its about time. Slàinte Mhath Ben
Springbank do seem to embrace some batch discrepancy so long as they're happy with the end product. Hope you enjoy it when you crack it open! Cheers David 🥃👍
Hmm I don't have a Tomatin 12 to hand to compare... Will revisit the SB10 tonight and go looking. Another note in the comments to look for is rhubarb! Cheers Jimmy 🥃👍
Yeah I can get behind a creamy nuttiness. Not familiar enough with the 12 year old do draw a comparison from memory though. Still enjoying this SB10 though!
I like hearing your take on one of those hyped whiskies/distilleries. When I see Springbank 10 the range in price is wild. Anywhere from $70-100, US. What would you say is the most to pay for it?
I was happy with this one at £40 (~53USD). Think stretching much over £40 gives it some stiff competition around here but selection and pricing is so regional it may not be the same! The only place I can find it in stock it's £49 at the moment 🤔 Cheers Carlos 🥃👍
I hail from India, and you can imagine how much more difficult it would be, to get a bottle of Campbletown whiskies here. It had always been my dream to have it in my collection, but the unavailability ultimately made the dream into an item in my bucket list :(. But where there is will , there is the slap that rocks :D jokes apart, there is only 1 importer in India who gets the Springbanks an I was able to to get the trinity : Springbank 10, Longrow Peated and Kilkerran. I paid a bomb but I agree with you that it's worth the hype! So the dream now is to get the CS bottling. Cheers!
@@purushtam9353 Hi, "The Vault" was the only importer of Springbank in India around 2 years back. It still should be. You can get it in premium liquor shops in Mumbai and Pune for around INR 12K.
@@WhiskyGeek Hi. It didn't go well. I went to the store and the last 3 Springbank 10 year Scotches were all scooped up. Oh well. Maybe sometime this year we'll get a restock of the Springbank 10 in my area. They used to be so plentiful as well. Sigh.
I went looking for rhubarb and found custard instead! There is definitely a fruitiness, a little sharp but not citrussy... has been a while since I had rhubarb which probably doesn't help.
The demand for the stuff at the moment is crazy! No surprise the price is creeping up when there's so much hype. I do get the impression a lot of it is coming from retailers though rather than the distillery themselves 🤔 Cheers GrotrianSeiler 🥃👍
This almost feels like a philosophical question! I have wondered myself a couple of times... Tomatin 2002 PX single cask - 99% Caol Ila 1984 33 year old (cask 11620) - 97% Balblair 1990 - 2nd release - 96% What were they missing? How would I make them better? I can't tell you... they were all incredible. If I can't put my finger on what they were missing then does that justify them being 100%? Maybe. But what I can tell you is I thought the Tomatin was better than the Caol Ila, which was better than the Balblair. So there's a distinction, and this is kind of what I consider when I derive a score;- where does it lay relative to what I've tasted so far. If I do find a 100% I hope it will be something I can afford to stash a couple of bottles of 🤣
Nice to see somebody actually drinking spring bank rather than buying bottles to flip
Someone's got to drink it eventually right? 😉
@@WhiskyGeek l found a bottle of The Springbank 10 online so picked one up to try they also had Kilkerran 12 Year Old and a hazelburn 10 but l just went for the Springbank 10
One of my favourite malts. Bottle of pure pleasure.
Cracking whisky for sure!
Cheers Flying_Hussar 🥃👍
Great review Ben. Bought my first (old bottle label and can't read date stamp) about 3 months ago at 65 US$. Liked it so much grabbed another. Then went out and bought their 12 year CS and 15 year. Even better. Springbank is making great stuff. CHEERS!!
That 12 CS 👌👌 Looking forward to popping the cork on mine.
Cheers DJ Beacon 🥃👍
The 2017 Springbank 10 was magnificent. The 2018 bottling was suddenly a drop in quality, maybe a bad batch. After that, I have not tried the newer bottling of Springbank 10. I have a bottle of older SB 10 (2016) with black label on it. It was equally magnificent. I only pour myself a SB 10 once a while because replacing it with recent price is just impossible. I may not be chasing Springbank for a few years before the price go back to a sane level.
I'd best savor the end of this bottle then! Always a little sad to hear people are finding less in engagement in recent bottles. At least the 12 CS and 18 seem to be bob-on! (only ones from the recent batch I've been able to try)
Cheers Marty 🥃👍
@@WhiskyGeek had the 10 and 15 from the October 2021 batch and they are both superb. Got both for RRP and no rushing around. Smaller retailers not putting them online or on display because of the scalpers. Bottles are available, not many, but there’s definitely a few out there in the wild still. 3 shops I’ve been to have all had one or two bottles from October batch still in stock Dec/Jan.
I’ve just bought a 10 and a 15 at rrp from a small shop with no online presence. The 2021 10 is magnificent whisky, as good as it gets at anywhere near its price.
Great review Ben. As you said, with your review this gem will even more hard to find (if at all).
Hope you can make it to Campbeltown....enjoy!
Slàinte mhath
@@artificial-frequencies hence the reason I cannot find them anymore. Thanks Daniel
@@artificial-frequencies thanks for rubbing it in.
I can still find it here in Denmark, but it's crazy. The cheapest price (I can find) has gone up approx. 20% in LESS than a year 😬😱
Nice review and channel! Will be tasting this for the first time after finding 2 bottles in Alberta. Looking forward to it.
Ben, I'm a new follower, so I can't talk about your review history in general.
But this.... I must say, I really enjoyed. Really genuine work on your part.
I love the way you choose your words when describing your impressions of the dram.
I'll definitely be back for future reviews! Slàinte 🥃
Thanks Benny & good to have you on board!
I've always tried to be genuine and unashamed of my opinions, even when it bucks the trend. It's so transparent when people aren't!
I spend far too long writing whisky notes haha 😁
Cheers 🥃👍
I go to Campbeltown once a year to stock up on Springbank/Longrow etc. It’s the only way I can get it these days. They seem to keep a decent stock in the town for those who make the pilgrimage. I think you will have to go on a weekday as the Springbank distillery shop is closed at weekends (weird). The town itself is a bit tired for want if a better word but the distilleries are special - old school, rough and ready, shoestring budget establishments where almost everything from malting to bottling is done by hand. It’s a different vibe from Islay.
Thanks for letting me know about weekends! That could have been disappointing 😅
I'd love to pick up a cage bottle whilst there too but they seem to disappear fastest of all.
Cheers Greig 🥃👍
I love your palate chart
Cheers Rishabh 🥃👍
I always thought this whisky was Unobtainium until I spotted a bottle in the USA at $77 US. Now out of stock again. Awesome dram!
Pretty solid price! I'm stuck looking to auction houses now here in the UK 🤔
Cheers George 🥃👍
Good whisky , good review : ) like .
Cheers Light Plays 🥃👍
Hi Ben haven’t actually had (or found) springbank with the new labels, still got some bottles of the earlier labeling, suppose the juice inside is the same but I prefer the earlier labels . Good review Ben think I’ll crack open one quite soon, its about time. Slàinte Mhath Ben
Springbank do seem to embrace some batch discrepancy so long as they're happy with the end product. Hope you enjoy it when you crack it open!
Cheers David 🥃👍
Great review Ben. i get a buttery creamy nutty nose note that i find in Tomatin 12 any thoughts
Hmm I don't have a Tomatin 12 to hand to compare... Will revisit the SB10 tonight and go looking. Another note in the comments to look for is rhubarb!
Cheers Jimmy 🥃👍
Yeah I can get behind a creamy nuttiness. Not familiar enough with the 12 year old do draw a comparison from memory though.
Still enjoying this SB10 though!
Just found one in a shop for £65 and snapped it up. This is for drinking and enjoying. What a shame they are selling for crazy money on line....
I’ve just managed to grab the 10 this very night….kilkerran 8 cask was gone within an hour 😳
Ouch! Really got to be quick on the trigger to grab anything from Springbank at the moment.
any idea on the batch? the 2020 and 2021 10s are fabulous!!
That one was dated 2017! I missed out on the more recent batches.
@@WhiskyGeek exact bottling code would be cool. some geeks are really geeky!!
I like hearing your take on one of those hyped whiskies/distilleries. When I see Springbank 10 the range in price is wild. Anywhere from $70-100, US. What would you say is the most to pay for it?
I was happy with this one at £40 (~53USD). Think stretching much over £40 gives it some stiff competition around here but selection and pricing is so regional it may not be the same! The only place I can find it in stock it's £49 at the moment 🤔
Cheers Carlos 🥃👍
I hail from India, and you can imagine how much more difficult it would be, to get a bottle of Campbletown whiskies here. It had always been my dream to have it in my collection, but the unavailability ultimately made the dream into an item in my bucket list :(. But where there is will , there is the slap that rocks :D jokes apart, there is only 1 importer in India who gets the Springbanks an I was able to to get the trinity : Springbank 10, Longrow Peated and Kilkerran. I paid a bomb but I agree with you that it's worth the hype! So the dream now is to get the CS bottling. Cheers!
Hey!! I am from Bangalore!( India ). who’s is the distributor?! which town !! How much did you pay for your spring bank bottles ?!!
@@purushtam9353 Hi, "The Vault" was the only importer of Springbank in India around 2 years back. It still should be. You can get it in premium liquor shops in Mumbai and Pune for around INR 12K.
@@charshavardhan Thank you 🙏🏻
Running to the store now to get a bottle. These are now $80 USD and are flying off the shelves.
Hope you were successful! Let me know what you think 👌
Cheers Dean 🥃👍
@@WhiskyGeek Hi. It didn't go well. I went to the store and the last 3 Springbank 10 year Scotches were all scooped up. Oh well. Maybe sometime this year we'll get a restock of the Springbank 10 in my area. They used to be so plentiful as well. Sigh.
Are there more people who find a strong smell of rhubarb at the Springbank 10? This is a strong note for me with this whiskey.
Sorry Dennis i dont get any rhubarb notes.
I'm going to revisit tonight and see if I can find it.
Cheers Dennis 🥃👍
I'm curious about your opinion. Otherwise it's a good excuse to drink a dram 😀
I went looking for rhubarb and found custard instead! There is definitely a fruitiness, a little sharp but not citrussy... has been a while since I had rhubarb which probably doesn't help.
It’s $80US right now, in early 2022. I am not likely to try it when there are so many positively reviewed others out there for far less. Their loss.
The demand for the stuff at the moment is crazy! No surprise the price is creeping up when there's so much hype. I do get the impression a lot of it is coming from retailers though rather than the distillery themselves 🤔
Cheers GrotrianSeiler 🥃👍
Just out of curiosity. Would you ever personally feel like any whiskey would reach 100%?
This almost feels like a philosophical question! I have wondered myself a couple of times...
Tomatin 2002 PX single cask - 99%
Caol Ila 1984 33 year old (cask 11620) - 97%
Balblair 1990 - 2nd release - 96%
What were they missing? How would I make them better? I can't tell you... they were all incredible. If I can't put my finger on what they were missing then does that justify them being 100%? Maybe. But what I can tell you is I thought the Tomatin was better than the Caol Ila, which was better than the Balblair. So there's a distinction, and this is kind of what I consider when I derive a score;- where does it lay relative to what I've tasted so far.
If I do find a 100% I hope it will be something I can afford to stash a couple of bottles of 🤣