Springbank 10 Year Old Sherry Fino (2025 Release) & Springbank 10 Year Old Local Barley (2025 Release)

Springbank 10 Year Old Sherry Fino (2025 Release)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 55.0%

Price: £99.95

This is the fourth instalment in Springbank’s five part Sherry Series, matured for ten years in total, with four years in bourbon casks followed by six years in Fino sherry casks.

Nose

The nose is a touch closed initially. With patience, we find orange peel, cinnamon, fresh cherries, and figs, with hints of ash, orange Fruit Pastilles, pear, and fudge. There is some alcohol prickle, but it is not overpowering. Pleasant overall, though not a sherry bomb and not obviously Springbank.

Palate

The palate shows polo mints, lime juice, aniseed, liquorice, orange juice, chewing tobacco, and a touch of pomegranate bitterness. Cinnamon joins on the medium length finish. The mouthfeel has a bit of weight, though it is a mouth drying dram. As with the nose, it is not obviously Springbank to us.

Nose (with water)

Water brings out more fruit and intensifies the notes, with blackberries, raspberries, and cherries moving to the forefront. It also dampens some of the alcohol spice, while the peat remains just as punchy. With patience, a little toffee and icing sugar appear.

Palate (with water)

Water has dialled back the spice and reduced the bitterness. There is now plenty of upfront fruit, think Blackcurrant Ribena mixed with cherry and orange juice. The mouthfeel has taken a slight hit, but not enough to deter our enjoyment. The finish remains medium in length. Again, this isn’t screaming Springbank to us.

Conclusion

Definitely one to add a few drops of water to, as reduction really helps open it up. It is a good sherry forward dram that stops short of sherry bomb territory. It’s just a shame that much of the Springbank DNA has been covered by the cask.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

At RRP it would be a no brainer, but we would not pay the secondary market price.

Springbank 10 Year Old Local Barley (2025 Release)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 55.2%

Price: £93.95

The latest local barley release was distilled on 1 July 2015 from Bere barley grown at Clochkiel Farm and matured in a mix of 60 percent bourbon casks and 40 percent sherry casks.

Nose

The nose opens with lemon balm, figs, charred wood, and tobacco smoke. Returning to it, we find fresh pineapple, flat lemonade, strawberries, and a hint of porridge. There is no real alcohol prickle given the ABV, but like today’s other review nothing here suggests Springbank to us yet.

Palate

The palate starts a little flat, with some tangerine, but as it sits on our tongues we begin to notice liquorice, dried earth, treacle, dark chocolate, and prune juice appearing on the mid-palate. The medium finish brings a touch of ash, with light pepper spice joining the aforementioned notes. There is a slight oiliness to the mouthfeel. Again, we are not getting Springbank vibes from this.

Nose (with water)

With water, the peat becomes more pronounced, with ash and burnt wood. There are also more red fruits, Indian spices, icing sugar, and apricots. As it sits in the glass, the pineapple note pushes to the fore, along with a hint of Campbeltown funk. Water has definitely opened it up and helped to reveal more of the distillery character.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has lost many of the pre-dilution fruity notes. There is less ash and less spice on the finish, replaced by a roasted coffee bitterness. The mouthfeel has held up well to dilution, and the finish remains medium.

Conclusion

We are a little torn on whether to recommend this neat or reduced. Personally, we prefer the reduced nose, but the palate shows better without water. However you choose to drink it, it is not a bad whisky, just far from the best Local Barley the distillery has released.

Score: 7/10

Value

Like today’s other review we personally wouldn’t pay auction prices for this.

• 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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