Adelphi Springbank 21 (RMW 30th Anniversary bottle)

Adelphi Springbank 21 (RMW 30th Anniversary bottle)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 57.0%

Price: £375.00

This bottling was released in 2021 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Royal Mile Whiskies, an independent whisky shop located in Edinburgh. The whisky itself was distilled at Springbank Distillery in 1998, and matured in a refill oloroso cask for 21 years. The was only 48 bottles of which 45 were sold to the general public.

Why only 48 bottles? Well, Adelphi bought this very limited mature stock, pre-bottled. Of the other three remaining bottles, one went into the company archive of their own-label exclusives and the other two were be drunk at the staff Christmas party.

Nose

On the nose, we’re finding cinnamon sugar dusted doughnuts, salted caramel, raspberry jam, Turkish delight, and the mellowest of bonfire smoke. There’s also dark chocolate, toasted almonds, strawberry laces and gingerbread. There’s not really any dried fruit, it’s much fresher and lighter. The alcohol feels really well integrated too.

Palate

The palate opens in an oiler, dirtier way than we expected, much more inline with the Campbeltown funk we’ve come to expect. There’s ginger, cloves, chocolate coated hazelnuts and macerated raspberries coming through. The mouthfeel is nice, but not spectacular, we were looking for a bit more here. The finish leaves you chewing on the dram, with red currants, thyme, and lightly roasted coffee. There’s a touch of alcohol bite that appears at the end too, but it’s not insurmountable.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is a little smokier and meatier, it’s like we’ve throw a match into the glass. Smoked venison, red wine sauce, hazelnuts, and more of those typical red fruits alongside saltwater, candied ginger and vanilla flavoured fudge.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate brings out some of the fresher, more acidic flavours of red fruits, fresh raspberries, strawberries and currants. There’s now a bit of cherry appearing too. Alongside this we’re still getting the chocolate, cinnamon and ginger from before. The mouthfeel is mostly unchanged, as is the finish, although we’re getting a touch more smoke at the end of the dram.

Conclusion

It’s not perfect but there’s a lot to love here and we’d consider it quite a tasty dram. Some may disagree, but that’s the wonders of whisky. The first fill cask hasn’t overpowered the spirit, but it’s on the edge. If you get the opportunity to try this then you should jump on it. Cheers to RMW’s first 30 years, hopefully there’s many more to come.

Score: 8/10

Value

It wasn’t great value when it was released, but we can’t imagine how much it would cost now. We don’t regret opening our bottle though.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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