This is the fourth release in the popular Local Barley series from Springbank. One more and we’ll have a full set:
- Springbank Local Barley 16 Years (2016)
- Springbank Local Barley 11 Years (2017)
- Springbank Local Barley 10 Years (2017)
- Springbank Local Barley 9 Years (2018)
The latest version is produced with Optic barley from High Cattadale Farm and matured in a mix of 80% bourbon casks and 20% sherry casks.
Springbank 9 yo 2009 ‘Local Barley’ (57,7%, OB 2018, 9700 btl.)
Nose: good but just like the 10 Years this is young and therefore a little less unique perhaps. I’m getting peaches, honey and lemon peel, with faint custard cream and biscuits in the background. Nice oily notes and minerals behind this. Gentle pepper. Bread dough.
Mouth: thick and oily, slightly more ‘industrial’ now (petrol or plasticine, in a good way). Brine, salty liquorice, a little mezcal. Then lemon and sharper grapefruit, subtle syrupy fruits (nectarine). Really salty in the end, with some bitter herbs.
Finish: long, with citrus zest, a whiff of smoke and a little tar.
A punchier Local Barley, quite characterful on the palate but slightly less on the nose. Very good for its age but others had more depth. Sold out in most places but you can still buy a sample.
Score: 89/100