Cadenheads Springbank 12yo Authentic Collection June 2024 & Cadenheads Orkney Enigma Authentic Collection June 2024

Cadenheads Springbank 12yo Authentic Collection June 2024

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 55.5%

Price: £85.00 

First up today, we have a 12-year-old Springbank that has been matured in a Refill Oloroso cask since its distillation in 2012. A total of 270 bottles were released in June 2024.

Nose

The nose opens with creme brûlée, lots of brown sugar, strawberry purée, salted caramel drizzle, fondant icing, and musty dunnage funk. There’s a lovely red fruit sweetness underpinning the dram, but it’s mixed with a real earthy, dry leaves and freshly turned dirt aroma. The smoke is noticeable the deeper you get into the dram, but balances well with the fruiter, sweeter aromas to give the dram quite a few different dimensions. The alcohol is noticeable but relatively well integrated. It’s very clear it’s Springbank, lots of that signature Campeltown funk coming through for us.

Palate

The palate opens with a nice creamy mouthfeel, thick and viscous, with raspberry filled chocolate, icing sugar, more of that salted caramel, alongside some wet rope, a little preserved lemon and fudge coming through towards the latter palate. The dunnage funk is abundant again, lots of earth, hints of bonfire smoke, sea salt and some fake chocolate too. The finish has a medium length, mostly the richer chocolate notes with a little bit of ginger too. There’s enough sherry here to accent the Springbank spirit, but it’s in no way a sherry bomb. The alcohol is a little spicy up front, but as the dram sits in your mouth it mellows out quite nicely.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has sweet chocolate, freeze dried raspberry, more dunnage funk, with sweeter undertones of icing sugar and a sprig of mint in the background. There’s not too much different, slightly mustier, less brown sugar and more white sugar for us.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the silky mouthfeel, it’s like chocolate ganache, but we’re getting some fresher red fruits, strawberries and raspberries mainly. There’s a bit of an alcohol kick now, but it’s still in good balance. As the palate develops, more chocolate, salted caramel and toffee appears, along with the classic dunnage funk.

Conclusion

Classic sherried Springbank, very clearly Campeltown. It’s a lovely dram, lots of complexity, not overly sherried but there’s some sweeter fruits in appearing for us. It’s an obvious comparison to the 12CS, and for us the cask strength release pips this at the post, but both are really good whiskies. The 12CS has a touch more going on, but we’d happily have a bottle of either.

Score: 8/10

Value

Not as cheap as some of the other releases in the recent in the Authentic collection, but still a bargain if you can get it at RRP.

Cadenheads Orkney Enigma Authentic Collection June 2024

Region: Highland

ABV: 54.7%

Price: £110.00

Next up today, we have a 19-year-old Orkney that was distilled in 2005, and has been maturing in a Fino cask since 2022.

Nose

The nose opens with caramac bars, dry earth, honeycomb, light apple notes alongside a little lime cordial too. There’s a bit of sherry in the background, maybe we’re swayed knowing it’s fino but there’s definitely a touch of salinity, it’s quite dry, alongside a mellow smoke in the background. The alcohol feels in good balance. A little bit of spice but not too much at all. Going back, we’re getting a little bit of dried fruit, hints of raisin and dates with an earthy undertone.

Palate

The palate opens with sweet bourbon, notes of vanilla, honey, caster sugar, alongside light strawberry, mellow cherry and a bit of sponge cake too. The sherry cask isn’t doing too much here, hint of a finish but overall it’s quite bourbon forward. The mouthfeel is good, relatively syrupy, with a touch of wood spice as the palate develops.. and as the finish lingers, we’re getting candied ginger and a bit of black pepper. Going back, we’re getting more of the peat, earthy undertones with digestive biscuits, wholemeal bread and some poppy seeds too.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a mixture of upfront sugar and peat, a little menthol and freshly cut grass. As we go back, we’re finding pine needles, sherbet, and a little honey too. It feels a touch dustier now overall.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has a bit of citrus up front, a mixture of lemon and orange, that quickly moves into ginger snaps, sweet caramel, a little bit of butter, bitter chocolate and oak spice. There’s a touch of warm black pepper heat that’s left on the palate, a bit more than pre-dilution.

Conclusion

Not a typical Orkney for us, we can see why this arrived under the Enigma range. It’s a good dram, something we’d happily drink and not think too hard about. Not to say there’s a lack of complexity, it’s well balanced with a few interesting aspects to it. We’ll go with 7/10.

Score: 7/10

Value

Definitely on the cheaper end of what IBs are charging for Orkney releases.

• 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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