Springbank 11 Years Old Local Barley 53.1% 2006

Professionele reviews

Serge Valentin (88)

Not sure it’s reasonable to kick this session off with some malt that’s been bottled at some rather high strength. But you know, reason and whisky… And I’ve loved the recent LB 16 (WF 91). What’s also good is that this 11 was made with bere barley. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s not that it’s shy, not at all, but I don’t think its got the high impact of the 16, this one’s rather kind-of-gentle, rather mineral (wet limestone) and of course rather coastal and lemony. A plate of oysters with a few lemon rinds and quite some kelp. With water: the usual old damp tweed jacked and our beloved wet dogs (we’ll build you a memorial, dogs). Coffee. Mouth (neat): very good, a little tequila-ish and bizarrely aquavity (yeah I know), with a lot of lemon, salt, and yes, agave. Really, it’s got a mezcaly side. The base is creamy and sligthly syrupy, but that only adds texture, no dumb vanillaness. At all. With water: artisan tequila from Campbeltown, now that’s interesting. Finish: rather long, and a tad more petroly. Salty/tarry aftertaste. Comments: more a Springbank to sip than a Springbank to nose, but I guess that’s the whole point. Mi piace molto

Words of Whisky (88)

:

Color Old gold

Nose
Almond oil with some fairly big citrus notes (lemon), but also damp leaves and minerals. There's more fruit here, like apples and galia melon. Surprisingly not much smoke, but there is a nice amount of wax.

Taste
Fat, oily and mouthcoating. Sweet arrival, but continues on big citrus notes, but rather more bitter oranges now. Lots of cigar tobacco, a distinct peatiness, menthol cigarettes, as well as a nice salinity. Lots to love here.

Finish
Lingers on citrus and menthol, with a touch of peat smoke and ashes.

Comments
This is certainly not on the same level as the 16 Year Old from last year. Nonetheless, this is a highly enjoyable whisky made by high standards.

BOW (89)

Nose: Freshly baked bread with sweet notes of sun dried bananas to contrast with the salted caramel topping
Taste: The promise given in the nose delivers, a lovely creaminess and sweetness of grapes, custard, honeycomb and marshmallow.
Finish: There’s a nutty quality about this, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts as wellness an air of indulgence, rich and buttery with an elegant finish that keeps on giving.