Springbank 25 (2024 Release)

Springbank 25 (2024 Release)

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 46.0%

Price: £505.00

This year’s release is combination of 35% bourbon casks and 65% sherry casks. We are yet to find any details on how many bottles were released.

Nose

On the nose we’re met with an abundance of maraschino cherries in syrup, along with a strong crisp red apple aroma. There’s a real sherbet-y sweetness coming through, slightly spritzy, fresh pear, lemon zest and flamed orange peel too. It’s a really bold nose, not in an overpowering sense, but it’s has incredibly strong aromas balanced well with the alcohol. Going back and we’re finding some creamy porridge, milk bottle sweeties, flan and a slightly herbal undertone reminding us of an autumn walk in the forest. The peat is barely noticeable, but there’s a slight wet-pebble minerality appearing as we go back to the dram.

Palate

The palate opens with quite rich flavours of caramel, coffee and chocolate, really bringing the sherry casks into the mix, quite a jump from what we experienced on the nose. Along side this, we’re getting a reasonable amount of smoke, salty and slightly briny. Taking another sip, we’re experiencing some of the fresh orchard fruits we saw on the nose, although those quickly morph into brown sugar and nutmeg as the palate develops, then finally settling down as creme brûlée and melon on the decent length finish. The mouthfeel has a nice texture, it’s creamy and oily. Time and air brings out strawberry laces and Haribo cola bottles.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose maintains most of the previous aromas, with a little bit more warehouse must and antique furniture coming through. The orchard fruits take on more of a stewed preparation now, as opposed to the crisp, fresh fruit we experienced before. Still creamy, still sweet, still has great balance.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has a bit of acidity appearing towards the beginning of the palate that we didn’t experience before, a mixture of lemon and lime, but this quickly moves into dark chocolate and burnt coffee. The peat smoke has disappeared further into the background, leaving damp earth in its stead. The mouthfeel is still oily, but it’s lost some of that milky, creaminess from before. We don’t think the dram needs water, but adding a drop isn’t really harmful either.

Conclusion

There’s not much to say here, it’s a delicious dram, well balanced, lots of complex flavours and aromas… We really enjoyed it. The nose and palate do differ slightly, much fresher on the nose whereas the palate brings richer and smokier flavours to the fore, but there’s nothing wrong with that. An easy 8.5/10, a slightly longer finish would have netted it a 9.

Score: 8.5/10

Value

It’s hard to say that a 25yo whisky at £500 is a bargain, but the truth is people will pay way more for this, and we appreciate Springbank not pricing this higher. It’s just a shame so few people can try 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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