Origin: Campbeltown (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 55%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Chillifiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: J& A Mitchell & Co Ltd.
Average price: € 150.00
Official website: springbank.scot
We are at the fourth release (out of five annual) of the ten-year Sherry Wood series from Springbank, released at the end of 2025. After an initial four years of maturation in ex-bourbon refill casks, it has added another six years in ex-sherry fino first fill casks (or fresh, as they call them at Springbank), with 11,400 bottles produced, which are obviously almost gone.
Tasting Notes
You must give it some time in the glass to open up to the nose, without getting stuck on the first rather monotonous impressions. Patience rewards by revealing the spirit of Springbank (musty, mineral, earthy peat, and slightly sulfurous) on which the influences of maturation layer on, including fruit (green apple, raspberries, currants, grape juice, kumquat), spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), cocoa, salted caramel, and damp leaves. The smoke is light but builds up in time, while the aromas remain in a taut balance that seems as though it could break at any moment… but does not. Adding water makes it softer and warmer, slightly masking the traces of the distillery.
On the palate, the alcohol strength is somewhat aggressive, with a sharp and very dry entry, marked by bitter characteristics. Here too, it requires time to round out and reveal a greater influence of the sherry casks, which tend to overshadow the spirit’s essence, making it more difficult to discern among red fruits, citrus (pink grapefruit), and spices. The funky essence is subtle, more pronounced in length, as is the smoke that appears after a moment, but at the core remains the final maturation, bringing an end to the precarious balance of the nose. Tobacco, vegetal notes, and nuts (toasted pine nuts, almonds) linger at the bottom. Water highlights mineral and saline notes, although the Spanish domination remains with fewer bitter notes.
Dry and long finish, with spices, salt, mineral and sulfurous notes, red fruits, earthy smoke, and cocoa.
Review: A rather strange beast, the long maturation in sherry seems to struggle to harmonize with the distillate, with the addition of water both enhancing and extinguishing depending on the approach. Definitely a peculiar experience for a Springbank, personally not entirely successful, but not trivial either.
Vote: 86/100