There were two Director’s Special releases at the end of 2024. The first was the Imperial 34 Year Old and the other one this Springbank 25 Years from refill bourbon wood.
Springbank 25 yo (55,5%, Single Malts of Scotland ‘Director’s Special’ 2023, refill bourbon barrel, 284 btl.)
Nose: fairly light, with a dialed back funky side. Tangerine, lime, melon and yellow apple. Then broken branches and subtle minty ashes. Almonds and toasted vanilla. Later hints of tobacco leaves and leather too, with old oak. Rather subtle for this distillery, even considering the advanced age.
Mouth: very oily, with herbal notes (thyme, rosemary), herbal honey and yellow fruits. Melons, lime and ripe pears, with a hint of apple syrup, getting slightly tropical over time. Then light wood smoke, more tobacco and a hint of crushed mint leaves. Hints of butter biscuit and toast, nicely mixing in that fruity sweetness.
Finish: medium to long, with warming oak spice, lingering smoked herbs, orange oil and subtle drying tobacco.
A slightly different take on Springbank, with far less funk but more fruitiness. No shortage of variations these days, from these subtle bourbon examples to the more intense sherried ones (which I tend to like a little more still). Only seen at DeinWhisky.