Springbank 12yo Cask Strength (batch '29), Campbeltown Single Malt

THE HOLY SPIRITS VIEW
Recent 12 Year Old Cask Strength batches have leaned heavily on sherry and rum — Batch 29 breaks that run entirely, back to 100% ex-bourbon, a style Springbank only revisits every few outturns. This is Springbank at its most transparent, without the sherry curtain, and worth grabbing for exactly that reason.
 
THE DISTILLERY
Made at Springbank, one of only three working distilleries left in Campbeltown and the only one in Scotland still doing every stage in-house, from floor malting to bottling.
 
THE WHISKY: 12 YEAR OLD CASK STRENGTH, BATCH 29 (2026)
Twice-distilled, lightly peated, matured the full twelve years entirely in ex-bourbon casks — a deliberate step away from the sherry-and-rum blends that shaped Batches 26 and 27. Bottled 21 January 2026 (bottle code 26/08) at natural cask strength, 56.6% ABV, non-chill filtered, natural colour.
 
TASTING NOTES
Earthy, mineral, straight off the bat — sea salt, dried banana, granola, a snap of fresh lemon zest, gentle smoke threading underneath. Grapefruit syrup builds, orange pith, pomelo, a puff of white marshmallow. Cocoa powder creeps in with air, glazed cherry, salted pretzel, that hint of smoke lingering low. Thick, oily on the palate, wet stone and sea breeze, chalky dryness wrapped round honeyed malt and vanilla pod, bourbon wood spice pushing through late. Brighter, more lifted than the sherry-led batches — properly transparent Springbank, funk and citrus in equal measure. Properly different animal to Batch 27.
 
Serve: Neat, in a Glencairn glass — cask strength has plenty of room for water if you want it, but this one's built to be tasted clean first.