Springbank is still working its way through the Springbank Sherry series. These whiskies matured in bourbon cask and then moved to different styles of sherry casks (skipping the obivous Oloroso). They’re launching them in order of “weight”, starting with Pedro Ximénez (which needs less time to leave a mark), followed by Palo Cortado.
The third release is the Amontillado version. Allow me to refresh your memory: Amontillado is a kind of over-aged Fino sherry, influenced by a period of biological ageing (under flor) as well as oxidative ageing (with air contact, much like an Oloroso). All casks were sourced from their usual sherry cask supplier Miguel Martín.
Springbank 10 yo – Amontillado Cask Matured (55%, OB 2024, Batch #24/197, 9900 btl.)
Nose: a mild farmy touch up front (dirty sheep wool, hay and rubber boots) along with almonds and honey. Then tobacco leaves, leather, walnuts and stewed apples. Whiffs of diesel. Oranges come forward, with subtle hints of golden raisins and hazelnuts. Sourish hints of grilled lemon.
Mouth: the oranges now become bitter, along with lemon peels, gradually moving towards pineapple sourness. Plenty of coastal elements. Slightly astringent, in a suitable way. Then more (pipe) tobacco, wet earth and moss, sour butter and peppery notes. Quite dry, leathery and leafy, with ashes and some coastal notes in the background.
Finish: medium long, now combining lemons and salt, with coal ashes, pepper and subtle wood.
I always say that Amontillado is adding less to whisky than other style of sherry – this is a good example. It’s helps to amplify the innate Springbank character, with a couple of minor interesting additions like tobacco and subtle farmy notes, but it doesn’t have the usual dried fruits. When I tried the entire series a couple of years ago, this was one of my favourites and I still think the result is really good.