Origin: Campbeltown (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd.
Official website: springbank.scot
On my journey through the events of 2025, I arrive in Kintyre to relive Springbank’s Open Day 2025, with two exclusive bottlings.
Springbank 10 yo Open Day 2025 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 57.9%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry recharred
Average price: € 45.00
From a vatting of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry recharred casks, 2,000 35 cl bottles were produced, bottled at 57.9%ABV and sold for £35.
Tasting Notes
The colour is dark gold.
The aroma is salty, reminiscent of the sea, but there is also a hint of pepper. The smoke is aromatic, with a hint of vanilla that tends to hide itself. However, the dark chocolate doesn’t, before the fruit, in the form of red apple, appears on the olfactory stage. There is also a clear note of barley (a whisky that tastes like whisky, as some say). With a few drops of water, it becomes a little less salty and a little more smoky, a grilled smoke, I would say.
On the palate, it is nicely spicy with pepper and chilli. The fruit, apricot and peach, remains in the background, while still making itself noticed. I get a distinct impression of smoked salt, while with water the barley is clearly perceptible and the fruity dimension is accentuated, without however upsetting the overall balance.
The finish is fairly long, salty, marine and, with water, also a little fruity. A hint of dark chocolate lingers to tickle the palate and the memory.
Review: An excellent Springbank, far from sensory vertigo or aromatic whims, always consistent in giving the drinker the deepest essence of the distillery. Solid, immediate, incisive: just right.
Vote: 88/100
Longrow 10yo Open Day 2025 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 55.6%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry Oloroso
Average price: € 45.00
This, on the other hand, is a vatting of fresh oloroso casks. The outturn is the same as Springbank: 200 bottles of 35 cl, also sold at £35, but offered at 55.6%ABV.
Tasting Notes
The colour is amber.
The nose opens with a Venetian memory of a ferry, between exhaust fumes and salt air, dirty but not repulsive. A hint of tobacco anticipates the shift towards sweeter notes of Haribo liquorice and salted caramel. Lots of dried fruit, walnuts in particular, before a mineral thrust digs an olfactory groove. A touch of leather catapults us in an instant from St Mark’s Square to the tanneries of Arzignano. With water, the dried fruit grows and charcoal emerges.
On the palate, the common denominator throughout the tasting is a very appealing smoky sweetness, made up of salted caramel, but also grilled peach and apricot. The alcohol content works very well as a sensory amplifier. With water, a previously unnoticed wood note emerges.
The finish is long, balanced between charcoal and salted caramel, with a sprinkling of pepper and a hint of fruit (apple and apricot).
Review: Another whisky in which ex-sherry casks do their job without distorting the distillate, but rather providing it with a springboard to stand out even more.
Vote: 88/100