Springbank 12yo Cask Strength (November 2025 Release) & Springbank 8yo (Springbank Society, Fresh Madeira)

Springbank 12yo Cask Strength (November 2025 Release)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 55.5%

Price: £73.95

Bottled in 2025 and matured in 100 percent bourbon casks, this is the first batch to use 100% Bourbon casks since 2021.

Nose

The nose opens with butterscotch, waxy lemon rind, freshly sliced white bread, moving into more vanilla sponge cake and earthy, dunnagey notes in the background. It's a pleasant bourbon-forward nose which still highlights the Springbank character. The alcohol is nicely balanced, it's very easy going on the nose, and we're finding more cocoa nibs, chalk and hints of tropical fruits as the nose begins to mature. 

Palate

The palate opens with white chocolate buttons, a little whipped cream, and some cracked black pepper, moving into more of a salted caramel sweetness on the finish. Heavy bourbon influence, and a lovely creamy texture on that first sip. Going back, we're finding lemon and poppy seed cake, or maybe shortbread, and a lingering earthy smoke in the background. The alcohol is a tad warmer on the palate than the nose. Time and air brings out some candied almonds too.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is a bit zingier, and a bit saltier too. It's still very creamy, slightly chalky, dunnagey, with a whole bunch of bourbon cask sweetness. We're also getting a bit of runny honey and candle wax as we go back to it.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has lots of white sugar on toasted, seeded bread, toffee crisp bars and whipped vanilla cream. There's a bit of coconut here too. The alcohol has balanced out a bit more, there's less of that bite we were getting on the unreduced palate.

Conclusion

We tried a pre-release sample of this at a tasting a few months prior to release and were underwhelmed, it was really quite rough around the edges. Fortunately time has worked its magic and it's much more harmonious, balanced, and tasty now. It's a bit warm on the palate, but it's a nitpick. The 12CS continues to be excellent quality. 

Score: 8/10

Value

As usual, a total bargain if you can get it at RRP.

Springbank 8yo (Springbank Society, Fresh Madeira)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 54.7%

Price: £60.00

Distilled in February 2017 and fully matured for eight years in six fresh Madeira hogsheads. Bottled for Springbank Society members in August 2025. The Outturn was 1,761 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with parma violets, nougat, remnants of a log fire, sour cherry liqueur, and sandpaper. It's really quite earthy and dirty with all of that Campbeltown funk that you'd expect from the distillery. There's also some bubblegum and fresh pastries dusted in sugar as we go back. The alcohol is in good balance and it's a fairly expressive nose. As we go back, we're finding some prune and tobacco.

Palate

The palate opens with a mixture of cherry juice, wet earth, candied fruits, honeycomb and some toffee in the background. We're also finding cooking chocolate and sprinklings of sea salt, alongside a warm chili heat that lingers on your tongue. There's a light smoke here, but an earthiness on the palate, and we're also getting some Red Kola as we go back for another sip. The mouthfeel is decent, simple syrup-like, and the finish does linger on with more chili chocolate and dirt. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels oilier and dirtier, with the madeira shining through a bit more - it throws some of the balance off. Lemon water, plum and engine oil seem to take centre stage. Water has really changed the profile, and not in a good way for us. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has chocolate, burnt toffee, brown sugar, fresh earth and honey. There's some artificial cherry here too, but like the reduced nose, this seems to have been thrown out of balance. There's less spice, but we prefer this without water.

Conclusion

When we first opened this bottle and tried it, we weren't blown away, but a little air has really helped mellow some of the overpowering cask notes. It's quite funky, earthy and shows a lot of the Springbank DNA with a decent amount of madeira layered on top. It's not our favourite Springbank but it's no doubt good whisky. 

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Another one that’s a must pick up at RRP.

• 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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