A few weeks ago, I finally got to taste this whisky, knowing how revered it is. The bar owner told me she'd been waiting for two months for the bottle to finally be shipped. Upon first sip, the sensation wasn't a "wow" in the way of "look how powerful/different/adjective the flavors are", but rather a sigh of gratitude and appreciation at how elegant, well-rounded and pleasantly rich this dram really is. It very much meets and merits the admiration. A 90 from me as well. Wonderful stuff.
I just tried Springbank 10 last week and was amazed at the richness of the flavors. Thanks Ralfy for introducing me to such a wonderful malt moment. I will treasure the rest of the bottle.
I was in Campbeltown for the first time a while ago and did the barley to bottle tour at Springbank, an incredibly memorable and enjoyable experience, completely old school. Great people working there and the distillery bar is brilliant too with some real unusual drams. Glen Scotia are well worth a visit for a tasting too. Real quality stuff.
In 2019 I heeded the price hike warnings and bought a case each of Springbank 10 and Kilkerran 12, along with a few Longrow and 3 Kilkerran 8 CS. It hurt at the time, but I'm glad I did now.
I was just in the store yesterday to replenish my cabinet after a couple of my pandemic bottles had poured their last. I had this very bottle in my hand… the last of its kind in the store... but set it back down. I went home with my “groceries”, sat back with a wee nip and clicked on RUclips… to find this. *sigh* Darn it, Ralfy! Back to the store today. Happily for me, it was still there. Cheers, good sir!
Thank you dear sir for this exclamation of love for whisky properly made! A tip by a well-tipped waiter brought me to Κύτταρον whisky bar in Kalamata, Greece this last August. An orange 10 and a green 15 were nestled on the top shelf behind Nikos' very well put bar. A balsam for sore eyes, I hadn't had a sip of Springbank in two years. A dram of each bottle was what one could have, a precious 30 ml. After a respectable flyte of seven malts, ending with the two Campbeltown beauties , Nikos was generous enough to offer me and my ecstatic Dutch buddy a glassbottom of 10 ml Longrow 18 on the house! Ralfy review 948 has me seriously contemplating booking tickets to Kalamata. Easier than getting a bottle of Springbank in Holland right now. Cheers Ralfy, happy drams! Until the 5th of November.
Hi Ralfy, Thanks for this wonderful ode to a distillery and their flagship whisky. We are so lucky that Springbank does exist and that they produce quality whisky. I salute Springbank and I salute you, dear Ralfy. Cheers from a patpal in Germany
Dear @Auberginenpeter! Especially you coming from Germany you should know that the prices of single malt whisky in Germany can be much cheaper compared to those ones in England. Due to tax reasons. The accessibility of Springbank in Germany and Austria seems to be much better than in England as well.
I was extremely pleased to pick up a bottle of this for £50 at my local shop a few weeks ago. It's exactly as you say, so rich and flavourful, the quality and care is obvious. I'm going to make it last a very long time ;)
Ralfy another great review. Early in my whisky experience I bought a 2016 springbank 12y burgundy for $165 Australian on the good advise of my local whisky go to. I have saved it for a special occasion but nothing seems to warrant the occasion particularly after great reviews like this one. What a dilemma I have, crack it open or wait for that special day.
Completely agree, Ralfy! I had the opportunity and luck to attend the Springbank Whisky Academy back in 2011 and I could see the whole process guided by the great Frank MacHardy. Witnessing this old school whisky making was like entering a time machine: floor maltings, open rake and plough mash tun, low ABV wash (around 5%), direct fire wash still with rumagger, worm tube in low wines still n1, 2.81 times distillation, manually controlled spirit safe with demisting test done to determine the first cut, in-site maturation with dunnage warehouses for some of the casks (others are racked), own bottling with no chill-filtration and no caramel addition, and besides that, producing much less than the capacity of the distillery. Everything is done to maintain quality and integrity in their products. Hats of to Hedley G. Wright (great-great grand son of founder Archibald Mitchell) and to every person responsible for maintaining the tradition and the quality of this superb whisky. Greetings from Venezuela.
Cheers Ralfy! I have a bottle of Springbank 10 my wife got for my birthday in 2020. I've had about as much as you have from yours. It's a special occasion dram for me, and I love it every time I pour it.
Been listening to you for many years - always love you reviews. First time commenting. I love Springbank, and am glad I have been able to accumulate a variety of releases - in all 3 incarnations. It remains my favorite distillery. There are others I enjoy of course - Mortlach, Ledaig, most recently Ardnamurchan, and others - but Sprinbank is by far my favorite! In fact I spent 5 days there a few years ago. Thanks for all you do for us fans of whisky - couldn’t agree more about Springbank!
Great review once again Ralfy. Hopefully Springbanks success will be an example to others. Glen Garioch I understand has also, or is soon returning to direct fire stills and floor maltings. Let’s hope that’s a sign of things to come.
Didn't realize this was such a rare gem... I should have picked up an extra bottle. Maybe it'll be there when I go back next week. If not, I'll be appreciating this one slowly.
Hear, hear! Quite Agree. I bought a 21 yo Springbank in Scotland in 1987. Been a huge fan ever since. I am heartbroken that I can no longer have it, here in NYC. If it shows up it is now far too expensive for my humble purse. But I did have the 10 thanks to a friend, just the other night. I miss the old 12, but the modern 10 is magnificent.
Springbank has been as rare as hen's teeth here in South Texas for the past couple of years. I should have listened to the store clerk who told me that there wasn't going to be any more coming for the foreseeable future and suggested I might consider grabbing the one other bottle they had when I bought the last bottle that I've seen anywhere. I've continued to shop stores in both Houston and San Antonio and there's none to be found. The Kilkerran brand has also gone missing, so the two best Campbeltown malts are now just ghosts. So if you can't find it in the British Isles, don't feel alone - neither can I over here on the other side of the pond.
Just to single out direct fire stills, that requires a strict attention to detail and control and regularity. You can bet a distillery that does that and malt their own barley and on sight bottling etc etc, you know they care about the entire process and it shows in the product. Thank you Springbank. Thank you Ralfy. Cheers to integrity Malt Mates Cheers 🥃
Hi Ralfy! I recently got my first taste of Springbank last Wednesday. With some heavy hunting I was able to find a 2017 bottling left in a local liquor store though at around £105. Luckier still, a few months after I found a 2014 bottling with the old packaging falling off and molding for £66. While those prices might not sound lucky, Springbank is practically impossible to find in the Philippines for good prices. Recently I’ve seen some online stores try to sell the 10 and 15 for £250-300. Disgusting! The whisky though is magnificent. The 2014 bottling is easily one of the most complex and richest whiskies I’ve tried to date. The 2017, while not equal to the 2014, as you said is still superior to every other entry-aged Scotch, save for bottles like the Port Charlotte 10 and Ledaig 10 where I score them on par. I saw Springbank was able to do something about flippers for the Support Ukraine limited release this year. I really hope they can do something to contractually make their distributors sell at reasonable markups and to allow only 1-2 bottles per customer to allow more people to try their whiskies.
Thanks for your comment! I was curious about the comparison of bottles from different years. I found a 2017 edition at my local store. I am still punching myself that I only bought one for $70. The other three bottles are gone now. The 10 is a great whisky. Last week, a friend of mine got a 14 cask strength, manzanilla cask, bottled in 2010. I paid $115 for this forgotten bottle.
Amazing review, the passion, knowledge and way you express them both had me cheering, long live Springbank and distilleries like it. The spirits world would be a sad place without them.
A couple of years ago, here in the US, these used to sit on the bottom shelf of liquor stores collecting dust, most ppl didn’t even know what this was. Now days, thanks to the internet, as Ralphy has mentioned, if you are lucky to see this anywhere it would be at least $100 for Springbank 10 and lets not even mention anything above that like the 12 cask strength or 10 local barley, thats easily $500 +. This has become the new Macallan, unfortuntely. ☹️
Ralfy, been watching you consistently for 4 years now, though stumbled upon your channel earlier at one point. Anyways, keep telling it like it is, unapologetically yourself, your knowledge, protecting the community. Its a beautiful thing. I found 6 bottles of the 10 recently at a shop, grabbed 1. I had the 15 year 4 years ago thanks to your review and shared it with some family scotch drinkers who were blown away. I'll likely pick up a 12 year cask strength if I can find it and potentially even the 18 year, but the prices sure have gotten out of control even since 4 years ago!
Two bottles of Springbank 10 from 2019 is all I could put my fingers on. Since there is no importer of J&A MITCHELL & CO for Bulgaria all I can hope for is the alternative import of very limited quantities by this or that store. And that was before Springbank got as desired as it is today. First bottle lasted me a good year and a half, the other rests in the stash. Magnificent whisky! BTW, wormtube condensers give less copper contact than the more efficient shell and tube systems, thus the spirit is heavier with more suphur compounds that give the meaty mouthfeel we all love in Springbank, Mortlach, Edradour, etc. Cheers!
Since i can only like this once here’s another 👍 Springbank and Campbeltown were the reason i got to explore more than just Islay whisky. I share the frustration of many since it’s basically impossible to buy now but i was lucky to get one bottle of the 10 last week. We just should be happy for them on their success while it sucks to not be able to buy it because there’s hope that some will follow their way of doing things. I was there in the distillery in may but unfortunately in the evening and the shelves were pretty much empty. Got the 15 though and had a dram of Local barley-22 in the nice Washback bar. Cheers!
I am visiting my family in Texas, I live in Uganda. Found a local liquor store by my moms house that has 3 of these bottles in stock. I bought one yesterday, enjoying it now. I will have to buy the other two to bring back to Uganda with me before I leave. I love Springbank. The last time I had it was in 2011. It's like tasting Nostaligia! Fond memories in every sip.
Live in South Jersey USA, there’s a great liquor store who gets several bottles of SB10y/o . Bought my first. It’s wonderful. Instantly bought a second for the library. Thank you Rafly for spreading the knowledge.
Pulled this one from the stash and poured a dram while watching this. As usual, your review was spot on Ralfy. Springbank is such a high quality product. Looking forward to trying the hazelburn as well. As many others had commented the days of seeing these on the shelves collecting dusk is long gone. Wish I had bought more.
Hear, hear..!!! 🥃 For all the Angelenos out there, this bottle seems to be in stock at a few Total Wine outlets in the Los Angeles area (for $92). Picked one up at the Northridge store a few days ago.
the first bottle of scotch I ever bought back in 2019. I have never stopped buying Springbank since then and cannot find another whisky which provides a similar experience!! Thank you Ralfy for spreading knowledge and for educating us all !!!
1 case of this finally came in to work after 2 years so I splurged, and I don't regret it. So many notes are balanced together and they all leap out the glass and give you a long finish. It's friendly enough to please but challenging enough to not be for beginners. God speed unto that distillery.
I’ve been watching your channel for years Ralfy. So many great (malt) moments over the years, and I wouldn’t regard anyone else’s opinion as highly when it comes to the best of malt
Just received a bottle in Australia. Had to wait for 18 months and was sold out in 8 minutes. My anticipation for this was enormous. It did not disappoint. A wonderful full flavoured single malt from my favourite whisky region. However I would say that the Killkerrin 12 is equally as good, a bit cheaper and maybe slightly more accessible. Hard to pick between the 2 and fortunately I have both. Easily my 2 favourite whiskies with Glencadam 10 a close runner up.
I 100% agree. A few years ago I visited the Sringbank Distillery. It was a wonderful experience. Everything is done by hand and the whole distillery is run by just a few people. Having visited other distilleries they are more like factories and not the hands-on experience that is Springbank. Real quality.
I have been so lucky that I have gotten hold of one Springbank 10 year (bottled 2020) and two bottles bottled 2022... I have always been a huge fan of whisky from Islay, but Springbank 10 has a unique taste...so complex, so much of everything...to me it is heaven in a bottle..
I started my malt journey around a year ago. The more I learn about springbank the more I want to try it. Maybe one day I’ll be able to get a bottle 😢😢
Your ability to extemporaneously verbally reprimand almost an entire market while simultaneously edifying a single brand is admirable. In a biblical context, it reminds me of Romans 1 and the seemingly instantaneous shift from the righteous to the unrighteous, but in reverse order. Another job well done at the bothy! Cheers from a small town in Alabama!!
I'm not sure i agree with every comment @ralfy - but having tried the old buff label, and the black label, and the italic black this new batch 10 is as consistently good as its ever been. The older bottles are dustier on the nose/palate and feel a little older, perhaps slightly more batch variable. These new 10s are just fabulously clean and the spirit just sings. Love the fact they marry the whisky after creating batches and let it rest and meld...great use of second fill casks which arent used on spirit they mature.
Thanks, Ralfy, spot on. I do occasionally see SB 10 and was recently at a big box wine shop that claimed to be out of stock. I spied a bottle lurking on the back of a shelf and quietly nabbed it. A dram for the ages!
Thank you for this. Was wondering where to go on my whiskey journey after Glenfiddich 12 and found your channel and binge-watched several malty reviews which was fun, helpful, and educational. Just ordered Springbank 10 and should arrive in a couple days. Looking forward to it!
Amazing review. This bottle is a piece of art. Thank you very much for everything Ralfy, you changed my whole Whisky journey. You made this experience genuine, and concentrated on the product itself and not on the b*sh*t commercial man power. I would be pleased to know if there is some more distilleries respecting some of the old fashioned criterias during the process of making the spirit and aging it, like you mentionned in this video. Thank you.
I understand the demand for Springbank after tasting a few different styles and its just really good juice. There are distilleries that have a similar style and flavor but the way Springbank does it sets a standard for rest. I will be sipping a fine dram of the 10 year old on holiday soon. I'll enjoy that malt moment....
Have a bottle of 10 year AND 18 year old Springbank in my Whisky armoire. Been there for almost 4 years among the collection. Five years in I'm done with the 10 and 12 year Olds Highland Park, Old Pulteney, Juras and Auchentoshans. Im currently in the Clynelish, oban and Aberlour territory. (It's summer, so the Laphroaig and Port Charlotte's are in hibernation). I feel I haven't quite graduated to opening a Springbank yet. Hopefully before the years out. Salud, malt mates!
The 15yr old is a different beast. Very much a sweet sherry lover's dream. I tried a sample and didn't really get it... maybe just me...Bunnahabhain 18 is cheaper and similar profile.. The 10yr old however is my favourite . It's a gorgeous waxy zesty rich vanilla woody beauty. Hard to explain but even to a novice like myself, it's the kind of whisky you want to sip for hours.... luckily managed to find two bottles for £60 a few months ago. Scared to open them just yet. My old bottle disappeared far too quickly. I really want to try the 12 CS next. Maybe at the distillery shop some day
Halfway through the video and I am totally convinced about Springbank. I will look around for a bottle of the 10yo, which I will have to open and enjoy as I have not had it before. I have not entered the investing/trading part of the whisky world anyway (yet... I might at some point). I know and understand very little about it and this amber liquid is too fascinating to just keep in a bottle and stare at. I still have a lot to learn, before considering investing. Other SB bottlings would be a bit (or a lot) heavy for my budget at the moment. I fully understand that the price reflects all you described (however some of it must be due to the desirability and rarity), especially when we compare SB to brands that cash in on former glory (...). But in the end it does push SB in the luxury whisky category. I tend to think that it might be for the better. If SB keep doing what they do, and go from strength to strength, they deserve it.
Centralising bottling makes sense tho because one bottling line can bottle a malt distillery year output in weeks and the machines need to run to pay for themselves. The alternative is a wee line like spring bank but thats labour intensive and rural distillerys probably cant get the staff. Basically not having a bottling line at the distillery is practical for so many reasons.
Not available anywhere here in Ontario Canada. LCBO, the only show in town is not carrying it. Quebec has the Springbank Cask Strength and the 10 year old but both only by lottery.
Was at the distillery this August. They haven't any Springbank in the distillery shop for months! Although I had a nice dram of the 18 year old at their distillery bar after the tour. Even the Longrow and Hazelburn were restricted in the shop to 2 each per customer!! But there are another 3 distilleries planned to open in Campbeltown so I was told by the smashing guy who showed us around.
Props to Sprngbank. Glad to say I have a bottle of the 10 yr. What is happening in the whisky industry is but one example of what I call the age of promotion over substance. Bitcoin, NFTs, over-hyped whisky are all part of the same quite destructive strain of virus that has infected so many. We can only hope this era is short-lived. Thank you for your insights and candor. Not easy to find these days.
It's the same flippers involved with Springbank that were the Rolex and Patek SS flippers. Mitchell need to do more to police the red hot grey market by red carding some distributors or bottle shops, much like what Rolex does if it catches any of its AD'S selling pieces to flippers. The flippers have made most JA Mitchell products toxic now sadly....
I found a Springbank 10 in the wild today at 65 euros. Unicorns do exist 😄 I wonder if the explosion of integrity malts might mean Springbank becomes a little easier to find now.
I remember the days when I could walk into my local whisky supplier in glasgow and pick up springbank easily , now you never see it , I managed to get a bottle of 15 last year online but now you get put on a waiting list , killkerans quite good though I'll just have to satisfy myself with that.
More crackdowns on flippers by the distillery (like Rolex does on their watches) is needed. Start banning distributors from selling to certain bottle shops if it's identified that certain bottle shops are continually selling to flippers. Mitchell need to start policing the grey market like Rolex does for their product. Kicking the can down the road is not a solution.....
Well said Ralfy...and I totally agree with your review. I have only seen Springbank on the shelf once in 6 years of weekly shopping in several large stores. I saw a few bottles of 15 year old about 4 years ago and grabbed one as soon as I saw it (in hindsight I wished I took them all). It was very expensive, but I knew I had to try it. Didnt open it for a few years...but it is by far one of my favourite bottles of whisky...and I have hundreds. I am keeping my eyes peeled and next time will grab more than one if I can. I cant put in words how good it is..amazing, exceptional, outstanding...just dont seem to do it justice. I feel blessed to have found and tried the one bottle I have.
Thank you Ralfy, for another honest, passionate whisky review. World would be a darker place without you. It saddens me deeply how in all aspects the quality is being sacrificed for the sake of cost efficiency,and then replaced by mediocrity which is the new standard these days, not only whisky. Here's to many more of your reviews, cheers!
I didn't think I'd ever have a bottle of this because of how out of stock and over priced it usually is but. A specialist whisky shop opened up 1 minute away from my flat .and had one bottle of springbank 10 for £65 do it was my birthday gift to myself and i was buzzing to get it home . Its good but i prefer hazelbburn 10 Laphroaig quarter cask .longrow heavily peated .
Damn! You got me afraid to open any of my Springbanks unless I get a surprise visit from the Whiskylassie or if I find out I have 1 year to live. I have 2 of the 2019 10yo and a 2014 10yo as well as 3 - 2018 15 yo and an independent bottling of an 11 yo. The last time I had an open 15 yo, I put 50ml in a mini bottle and I've been tempted many times to take a sip. The 2019 10 yo were 70USD back then. They are now 100USD. The 15 yo were 130USD and were 160USD when they ran out.
Found it for the first time last month. A couple of bottles virtually hidden on the bottom shelf of a big store in Chicago. $100 a bottle. I’ve yet to see a 15yo for sale here. I’m in North Carolina. We’ll never see it here.
Agreed, Springbank, Kilkerran, and ever-evolving Loch Lomond are producing integrity bottling’s vs other mass produced swill. Unfortunately, in Ohio,US… Springbank 10 costs $115+. 12 year is $160+. I love, respect, and demand integrity bottling’s (we all should) but gods be good, can we afford them 🤷🏻♂️. Love you Ralfy 👍🏼
Hi Ralfy. Greetings from New Zealand. Great review. How about a special episode on alternatives to Springbank 10. Your top 5! (If possible). I like KK12 or Benromach Cask Strength batch 4.
The distributor Springbank themselves sell to in my country actively marks up what it gets to close to secondary prices. Springbank can control which distributor they sell to, and choose to do business with more morally sound people, but they don’t. The secondary market, the investors, the flippers, have ruined played their part in damaging Springbank as well, to the point that I (and I know many others) don’t even try and bother finding it. It’s all well and good being the best whisky distillery going but if nobody can get their hands on a bottle, or need to pay a kings ransom to do so, it’s kind of redundant.
Thanks for a very enthusiastic review. I was at the end of the video surprised that the whisky only got 90 malt marks. I have had the same experience with several other whiskies that you have been extremely enthusiastic and positive about. I have never encounted you giving more than 91 marks. I wonder what it takes to get one or more of the last 9 malt marks. Could you some day explain your scale and how you get to the final score? (You might have done so before, but I haven't seen all of you videoes...)
I went down a rabbit hole a few years ago trying to find distilleries around the world that were operating similarly to Springbank. A promising one was Stauning in Denmark - open floor malting of local barley, (very) small direct-fired copper stills. Shell and tube condensers, however, and they don't seem to put out a simple age-stated 46% single malt. Bit of a waste, if you ask me, but I hope they'll get there!
I picked up a bottle of Kaos. And it's all about the rye, even though it's a triple malt spirit. No one does barley like the Scotts. Even on a bad day it's more rounded and character full than most "world" malts. Being in the US I have tried many domestics and there are only a handful that can stand side by side.
In Poland the availability of the least expensive bottle of Springbank starts at a 12yo cask strength selling for approx 450USD. All the best Ralfy, love your channel and always return when the weather gets colder.
"not an artificially induced collectable like Macallan, trading on the reputation that it used to have". Well said!!!
Tottally agreee!!! Well said!!! 🤜🤜
I still like my Macallan 12. Bought for 35 Euros. 2 bottles left. Was worth it. Still is. Just not for 100+
I like how The Bothy exists on the border of fantasy and reality somewhere in the Irish sea.
Dont we all dream of this place sometimes
A few weeks ago, I finally got to taste this whisky, knowing how revered it is. The bar owner told me she'd been waiting for two months for the bottle to finally be shipped. Upon first sip, the sensation wasn't a "wow" in the way of "look how powerful/different/adjective the flavors are", but rather a sigh of gratitude and appreciation at how elegant, well-rounded and pleasantly rich this dram really is. It very much meets and merits the admiration. A 90 from me as well. Wonderful stuff.
Definitely! It's not a blow your socks off this is the best thing I've ever tasted... but it's like a I'd like another pour... and a third pour. lol
I just tried Springbank 10 last week and was amazed at the richness of the flavors. Thanks Ralfy for introducing me to such a wonderful malt moment. I will treasure the rest of the bottle.
I was in Campbeltown for the first time a while ago and did the barley to bottle tour at Springbank, an incredibly memorable and enjoyable experience, completely old school. Great people working there and the distillery bar is brilliant too with some real unusual drams.
Glen Scotia are well worth a visit for a tasting too.
Real quality stuff.
The Full Ralfy has been unleashed for this review.
Had a distillery tour at Springbank earlier this year just me the wife and the tour guide it was absolutely fantastic would thoroughly recommend.
In 2019 I heeded the price hike warnings and bought a case each of Springbank 10 and Kilkerran 12, along with a few Longrow and 3 Kilkerran 8 CS. It hurt at the time, but I'm glad I did now.
Lucky you. Cheers to you and greetings from Germany
@@mrnosebear7406 and to you, also! 🥂
Quite the speculative and strategic move! Cheers from a small town in Alabama, and not too far from moonshine county.
people like you are one big reason why all the bottles are gone from the shelves
Me too!
Victory Ralfy!!!! Scored two bottles of 10 delicious! So happy, super thrilled.
How much did you pay? If I may ask.
@@viruk777 $127.00 CAD each
@@johncollinson4147 Cheers!
Scored same, after the first blew my mind I got 2 more while I can find it….fantastic stuff!
I was just in the store yesterday to replenish my cabinet after a couple of my pandemic bottles had poured their last. I had this very bottle in my hand… the last of its kind in the store... but set it back down. I went home with my “groceries”, sat back with a wee nip and clicked on RUclips… to find this.
*sigh* Darn it, Ralfy! Back to the store today. Happily for me, it was still there. Cheers, good sir!
Thank you dear sir for this exclamation of love for whisky properly made!
A tip by a well-tipped waiter brought me to Κύτταρον whisky bar in Kalamata, Greece this last August.
An orange 10 and a green 15 were nestled on the top shelf behind Nikos' very well put bar.
A balsam for sore eyes, I hadn't had a sip of Springbank in two years.
A dram of each bottle was what one could have, a precious 30 ml.
After a respectable flyte of seven malts, ending with the two Campbeltown beauties , Nikos was generous enough to offer me and my ecstatic Dutch buddy a glassbottom of 10 ml Longrow 18 on the house!
Ralfy review 948 has me seriously contemplating booking tickets to Kalamata.
Easier than getting a bottle of Springbank in Holland right now.
Cheers Ralfy, happy drams!
Until the 5th of November.
Hi Ralfy, Thanks for this wonderful ode to a distillery and their flagship whisky. We are so lucky that Springbank does exist and that they produce quality whisky. I salute Springbank and I salute you, dear Ralfy. Cheers from a patpal in Germany
@Auberginenpeter Springbank RRPs are very fair when you consider the quality of their products
All core Springbank & Kilkerran whisky is now so difficult to buy even here in the UK.
@Auberginenpeter Did you see the price hike by DIageo for a bottle of 18yo Talisker? Its now £180 a bottle. Thats gone up by roughly £100.
@Auberginenpeter Question: In your opinion, what is the fair RRP for a Springbank 15 yrs?
Dear @Auberginenpeter! Especially you coming from Germany you should know that the prices of single malt whisky in Germany can be much cheaper compared to those ones in England. Due to tax reasons. The accessibility of Springbank in Germany and Austria seems to be much better than in England as well.
I was extremely pleased to pick up a bottle of this for £50 at my local shop a few weeks ago. It's exactly as you say, so rich and flavourful, the quality and care is obvious. I'm going to make it last a very long time ;)
Ralfy another great review. Early in my whisky experience I bought a 2016 springbank 12y burgundy for $165 Australian on the good advise of my local whisky go to. I have saved it for a special occasion but nothing seems to warrant the occasion particularly after great reviews like this one. What a dilemma I have, crack it open or wait for that special day.
Springbank is one of very few authentic distilleries done the proper way. Springbank has earned its high profile within the whisky community.
Did the tour 2 weeks ago, for the 2nd time in 5 years . Still fantastic. Still my favourite whiskey. Managed to bag a bottle from 'The Cage' lucky me!
Completely agree, Ralfy! I had the opportunity and luck to attend the Springbank Whisky Academy back in 2011 and I could see the whole process guided by the great Frank MacHardy. Witnessing this old school whisky making was like entering a time machine: floor maltings, open rake and plough mash tun, low ABV wash (around 5%), direct fire wash still with rumagger, worm tube in low wines still n1, 2.81 times distillation, manually controlled spirit safe with demisting test done to determine the first cut, in-site maturation with dunnage warehouses for some of the casks (others are racked), own bottling with no chill-filtration and no caramel addition, and besides that, producing much less than the capacity of the distillery. Everything is done to maintain quality and integrity in their products. Hats of to Hedley G. Wright (great-great grand son of founder Archibald Mitchell) and to every person responsible for maintaining the tradition and the quality of this superb whisky. Greetings from Venezuela.
Going to get my bottle today. They got it waiting for me.
Cheers Ralfy! I have a bottle of Springbank 10 my wife got for my birthday in 2020. I've had about as much as you have from yours. It's a special occasion dram for me, and I love it every time I pour it.
Been listening to you for many years - always love you reviews. First time commenting. I love Springbank, and am glad I have been able to accumulate a variety of releases - in all 3 incarnations. It remains my favorite distillery. There are others I enjoy of course - Mortlach, Ledaig, most recently Ardnamurchan, and others - but Sprinbank is by far my favorite! In fact I spent 5 days there a few years ago. Thanks for all you do for us fans of whisky - couldn’t agree more about Springbank!
Wow. Lucky You, sir.
Great review once again Ralfy. Hopefully Springbanks success will be an example to others. Glen Garioch I understand has also, or is soon returning to direct fire stills and floor maltings. Let’s hope that’s a sign of things to come.
Didn't realize this was such a rare gem... I should have picked up an extra bottle. Maybe it'll be there when I go back next week. If not, I'll be appreciating this one slowly.
Hear, hear! Quite Agree. I bought a 21 yo Springbank in Scotland in 1987. Been a huge fan ever since. I am heartbroken that I can no longer have it, here in NYC. If it shows up it is now far too expensive for my humble purse. But I did have the 10 thanks to a friend, just the other night. I miss the old 12, but the modern 10 is magnificent.
Springbank has been as rare as hen's teeth here in South Texas for the past couple of years. I should have listened to the store clerk who told me that there wasn't going to be any more coming for the foreseeable future and suggested I might consider grabbing the one other bottle they had when I bought the last bottle that I've seen anywhere. I've continued to shop stores in both Houston and San Antonio and there's none to be found. The Kilkerran brand has also gone missing, so the two best Campbeltown malts are now just ghosts. So if you can't find it in the British Isles, don't feel alone - neither can I over here on the other side of the pond.
Springbank is still very thin on the ground in the western half of the US, I definitely buy a bottle at every opportunity. Great review, great whisky
As an ex Springbank whisky school student i can only agree with you Ralfie job well done to you and to Springbank
Just to single out direct fire stills, that requires a strict attention to detail and control and regularity. You can bet a distillery that does that and malt their own barley and on sight bottling etc etc, you know they care about the entire process and it shows in the product. Thank you Springbank. Thank you Ralfy. Cheers to integrity Malt Mates Cheers 🥃
Glad to see your appreciation of my favourite dram.
Hi Ralfy! I recently got my first taste of Springbank last Wednesday. With some heavy hunting I was able to find a 2017 bottling left in a local liquor store though at around £105. Luckier still, a few months after I found a 2014 bottling with the old packaging falling off and molding for £66. While those prices might not sound lucky, Springbank is practically impossible to find in the Philippines for good prices. Recently I’ve seen some online stores try to sell the 10 and 15 for £250-300. Disgusting!
The whisky though is magnificent. The 2014 bottling is easily one of the most complex and richest whiskies I’ve tried to date. The 2017, while not equal to the 2014, as you said is still superior to every other entry-aged Scotch, save for bottles like the Port Charlotte 10 and Ledaig 10 where I score them on par.
I saw Springbank was able to do something about flippers for the Support Ukraine limited release this year. I really hope they can do something to contractually make their distributors sell at reasonable markups and to allow only 1-2 bottles per customer to allow more people to try their whiskies.
Thanks for your comment! I was curious about the comparison of bottles from different years. I found a 2017 edition at my local store. I am still punching myself that I only bought one for $70. The other three bottles are gone now. The 10 is a great whisky. Last week, a friend of mine got a 14 cask strength, manzanilla cask, bottled in 2010. I paid $115 for this forgotten bottle.
Amazing review, the passion, knowledge and way you express them both had me cheering, long live Springbank and distilleries like it. The spirits world would be a sad place without them.
A couple of years ago, here in the US, these used to sit on the bottom shelf of liquor stores collecting dust, most ppl didn’t even know what this was. Now days, thanks to the internet, as Ralphy has mentioned, if you are lucky to see this anywhere it would be at least $100 for Springbank 10 and lets not even mention anything above that like the 12 cask strength or 10 local barley, thats easily $500 +. This has become the new Macallan, unfortuntely. ☹️
Ralfy, been watching you consistently for 4 years now, though stumbled upon your channel earlier at one point. Anyways, keep telling it like it is, unapologetically yourself, your knowledge, protecting the community. Its a beautiful thing. I found 6 bottles of the 10 recently at a shop, grabbed 1. I had the 15 year 4 years ago thanks to your review and shared it with some family scotch drinkers who were blown away. I'll likely pick up a 12 year cask strength if I can find it and potentially even the 18 year, but the prices sure have gotten out of control even since 4 years ago!
Beautiful speech in front of the beloved OSWA! …and the winner is…
Amen my friend. Amen.
Thank you Ralfy! After such a passionate whisky review, which I agree 100%, I was expecting a slightly higher grade in your reward.
Two bottles of Springbank 10 from 2019 is all I could put my fingers on. Since there is no importer of J&A MITCHELL & CO for Bulgaria all I can hope for is the alternative import of very limited quantities by this or that store. And that was before Springbank got as desired as it is today.
First bottle lasted me a good year and a half, the other rests in the stash. Magnificent whisky!
BTW, wormtube condensers give less copper contact than the more efficient shell and tube systems, thus the spirit is heavier with more suphur compounds that give the meaty mouthfeel we all love in Springbank, Mortlach, Edradour, etc.
Cheers!
Since i can only like this once here’s another 👍 Springbank and Campbeltown were the reason i got to explore more than just Islay whisky. I share the frustration of many since it’s basically impossible to buy now but i was lucky to get one bottle of the 10 last week. We just should be happy for them on their success while it sucks to not be able to buy it because there’s hope that some will follow their way of doing things. I was there in the distillery in may but unfortunately in the evening and the shelves were pretty much empty. Got the 15 though and had a dram of Local barley-22 in the nice Washback bar. Cheers!
I am visiting my family in Texas, I live in Uganda. Found a local liquor store by my moms house that has 3 of these bottles in stock. I bought one yesterday, enjoying it now. I will have to buy the other two to bring back to Uganda with me before I leave. I love Springbank. The last time I had it was in 2011. It's like tasting Nostaligia! Fond memories in every sip.
Thank you ralfy for the pure and honest truth with the tuff love this is why I follow you for being real with the way the world works God Bless
Good luck trying to get a hold of one. Will have to travel to Campbeltown at this rate.
100% agree! Word! All said! Applause! SB 10 is my go to single malt, love it! Made by hand and soul, and it shows in the glass!
Live in South Jersey USA, there’s a great liquor store who gets several bottles of SB10y/o . Bought my first. It’s wonderful. Instantly bought a second for the library. Thank you Rafly for spreading the knowledge.
Pulled this one from the stash and poured a dram while watching this. As usual, your review was spot on Ralfy. Springbank is such a high quality product. Looking forward to trying the hazelburn as well. As many others had commented the days of seeing these on the shelves collecting dusk is long gone. Wish I had bought more.
Hear, hear..!!! 🥃
For all the Angelenos out there, this bottle seems to be in stock at a few Total Wine outlets in the Los Angeles area (for $92). Picked one up at the Northridge store a few days ago.
the first bottle of scotch I ever bought back in 2019. I have never stopped buying Springbank since then and cannot find another whisky which provides a similar experience!! Thank you Ralfy for spreading knowledge and for educating us all !!!
Try Glen Scotia and Benromach (above 46%)
1 case of this finally came in to work after 2 years so I splurged, and I don't regret it. So many notes are balanced together and they all leap out the glass and give you a long finish. It's friendly enough to please but challenging enough to not be for beginners. God speed unto that distillery.
Ralfy preaching is second to none!
I’ve been watching your channel for years Ralfy. So many great (malt) moments over the years, and I wouldn’t regard anyone else’s opinion as highly when it comes to the best of malt
Check out Whiskyfun (Ralfy recommended) for some equally worthwhile opinions
Just received a bottle in Australia. Had to wait for 18 months and was sold out in 8 minutes. My anticipation for this was enormous. It did not disappoint. A wonderful full flavoured single malt from my favourite whisky region. However I would say that the Killkerrin 12 is equally as good, a bit cheaper and maybe slightly more accessible. Hard to pick between the 2 and fortunately I have both. Easily my 2 favourite whiskies with Glencadam 10 a close runner up.
I 100% agree. A few years ago I visited the Sringbank Distillery. It was a wonderful experience. Everything is done by hand and the whole distillery is run by just a few people. Having visited other distilleries they are more like factories and not the hands-on experience that is Springbank. Real quality.
I have been so lucky that I have gotten hold of one Springbank 10 year (bottled 2020) and two bottles bottled 2022...
I have always been a huge fan of whisky from Islay, but Springbank 10 has a unique taste...so complex, so much of everything...to me it is heaven in a bottle..
LONGROW RED!!! Love their red wine cask finishes.
I started my malt journey around a year ago. The more I learn about springbank the more I want to try it. Maybe one day I’ll be able to get a bottle 😢😢
Fantastic, Ralfy. All the best.
Your ability to extemporaneously verbally reprimand almost an entire market while simultaneously edifying a single brand is admirable. In a biblical context, it reminds me of Romans 1 and the seemingly instantaneous shift from the righteous to the unrighteous, but in reverse order. Another job well done at the bothy! Cheers from a small town in Alabama!!
I'm not sure i agree with every comment @ralfy - but having tried the old buff label, and the black label, and the italic black this new batch 10 is as consistently good as its ever been. The older bottles are dustier on the nose/palate and feel a little older, perhaps slightly more batch variable. These new 10s are just fabulously clean and the spirit just sings. Love the fact they marry the whisky after creating batches and let it rest and meld...great use of second fill casks which arent used on spirit they mature.
Thanks, Ralfy, spot on. I do occasionally see SB 10 and was recently at a big box wine shop that claimed to be out of stock. I spied a bottle lurking on the back of a shelf and quietly nabbed it. A dram for the ages!
Thank you for this. Was wondering where to go on my whiskey journey after Glenfiddich 12 and found your channel and binge-watched several malty reviews which was fun, helpful, and educational. Just ordered Springbank 10 and should arrive in a couple days. Looking forward to it!
Amazing review. This bottle is a piece of art. Thank you very much for everything Ralfy, you changed my whole Whisky journey. You made this experience genuine, and concentrated on the product itself and not on the b*sh*t commercial man power. I would be pleased to know if there is some more distilleries respecting some of the old fashioned criterias during the process of making the spirit and aging it, like you mentionned in this video. Thank you.
Spot-on as usual one of my favourites looking forward to the extras.
I understand the demand for Springbank after tasting a few different styles and its just really good juice. There are distilleries that have a similar style and flavor but the way Springbank does it sets a standard for rest. I will be sipping a fine dram of the 10 year old on holiday soon. I'll enjoy that malt moment....
Have a bottle of 10 year AND 18 year old Springbank in my Whisky armoire. Been there for almost 4 years among the collection. Five years in I'm done with the 10 and 12 year Olds Highland Park, Old Pulteney, Juras and Auchentoshans. Im currently in the Clynelish, oban and Aberlour territory. (It's summer, so the Laphroaig and Port Charlotte's are in hibernation). I feel I haven't quite graduated to opening a Springbank yet. Hopefully before the years out. Salud, malt mates!
The 15yr old is a different beast. Very much a sweet sherry lover's dream. I tried a sample and didn't really get it... maybe just me...Bunnahabhain 18 is cheaper and similar profile..
The 10yr old however is my favourite . It's a gorgeous waxy zesty rich vanilla woody beauty. Hard to explain but even to a novice like myself, it's the kind of whisky you want to sip for hours.... luckily managed to find two bottles for £60 a few months ago. Scared to open them just yet. My old bottle disappeared far too quickly.
I really want to try the 12 CS next. Maybe at the distillery shop some day
Halfway through the video and I am totally convinced about Springbank. I will look around for a bottle of the 10yo, which I will have to open and enjoy as I have not had it before. I have not entered the investing/trading part of the whisky world anyway (yet... I might at some point). I know and understand very little about it and this amber liquid is too fascinating to just keep in a bottle and stare at. I still have a lot to learn, before considering investing.
Other SB bottlings would be a bit (or a lot) heavy for my budget at the moment. I fully understand that the price reflects all you described (however some of it must be due to the desirability and rarity), especially when we compare SB to brands that cash in on former glory (...). But in the end it does push SB in the luxury whisky category.
I tend to think that it might be for the better. If SB keep doing what they do, and go from strength to strength, they deserve it.
Centralising bottling makes sense tho because one bottling line can bottle a malt distillery year output in weeks and the machines need to run to pay for themselves. The alternative is a wee line like spring bank but thats labour intensive and rural distillerys probably cant get the staff. Basically not having a bottling line at the distillery is practical for so many reasons.
I visited the distillery this summer. The distillery only hand fill was the only bottle you could buy in the shop! But it's worth the trek to visit.
Not available anywhere here in Ontario Canada. LCBO, the only show in town is not carrying it. Quebec has the Springbank Cask Strength and the 10 year old but both only by lottery.
Well, that’s a review I was waiting for
Was at the distillery this August. They haven't any Springbank in the distillery shop for months! Although I had a nice dram of the 18 year old at their distillery bar after the tour. Even the Longrow and Hazelburn were restricted in the shop to 2 each per customer!! But there are another 3 distilleries planned to open in Campbeltown so I was told by the smashing guy who showed us around.
Props to Sprngbank. Glad to say I have a bottle of the 10 yr.
What is happening in the whisky industry is but one example of what I call the age of promotion over substance.
Bitcoin, NFTs, over-hyped whisky are all part of the same quite destructive strain of virus that has infected so many.
We can only hope this era is short-lived.
Thank you for your insights and candor. Not easy to find these days.
It's the same flippers involved with Springbank that were the Rolex and Patek SS flippers. Mitchell need to do more to police the red hot grey market by red carding some distributors or bottle shops, much like what Rolex does if it catches any of its AD'S selling pieces to flippers. The flippers have made most JA Mitchell products toxic now sadly....
Two drams tonight - SB 10 and Bladnoch 10. Hard to pick a winner but have both thanks to your good recommendation.
We’ll, maybe it’s not that hard, but the Bladnoch is damn fine for the price.
I found a Springbank 10 in the wild today at 65 euros. Unicorns do exist 😄
I wonder if the explosion of integrity malts might mean Springbank becomes a little easier to find now.
Whatever you my think of the whisky, but Abhainn Dearg on Lewis is the other distillery in Scotland who do everything from A to Z.
Having a wee sip of this now. It's damn near flawless!
Best had early in a flight, in my experience.
I do enjoy these videos. The problem is after watching this I made a hefty purchase on a superb bottle of springbank lol
I remember the days when I could walk into my local whisky supplier in glasgow and pick up springbank easily , now you never see it , I managed to get a bottle of 15 last year online but now you get put on a waiting list , killkerans quite good though I'll just have to satisfy myself with that.
I have a 15 year still unopened on my shelf. I found 10 year bottle for a decent price all considering i have to order it.
Add a dollop of ‘the Ralfy effect’ to the scarcity, allocation, & hoarding. And that’s on top of the absurd amount of tax + VAT in UK. 😖
More crackdowns on flippers by the distillery (like Rolex does on their watches) is needed. Start banning distributors from selling to certain bottle shops if it's identified that certain bottle shops are continually selling to flippers.
Mitchell need to start policing the grey market like Rolex does for their product. Kicking the can down the road is not a solution.....
Well said Ralfy...and I totally agree with your review. I have only seen Springbank on the shelf once in 6 years of weekly shopping in several large stores. I saw a few bottles of 15 year old about 4 years ago and grabbed one as soon as I saw it (in hindsight I wished I took them all). It was very expensive, but I knew I had to try it. Didnt open it for a few years...but it is by far one of my favourite bottles of whisky...and I have hundreds. I am keeping my eyes peeled and next time will grab more than one if I can. I cant put in words how good it is..amazing, exceptional, outstanding...just dont seem to do it justice. I feel blessed to have found and tried the one bottle I have.
springbank is my favourite whisky. i drink more than 10 bottles of it and i have 20 bottles of springbank 10 in my private collection.
Thank you Ralfy, for another honest, passionate whisky review. World would be a darker place without you. It saddens me deeply how in all aspects the quality is being sacrificed for the sake of cost efficiency,and then replaced by mediocrity which is the new standard these days, not only whisky. Here's to many more of your reviews, cheers!
I didn't think I'd ever have a bottle of this because of how out of stock and over priced it usually is but. A specialist whisky shop opened up 1 minute away from my flat .and had one bottle of springbank 10 for £65 do it was my birthday gift to myself and i was buzzing to get it home . Its good but i prefer hazelbburn 10 Laphroaig quarter cask .longrow heavily peated .
Great video, Ralfy - a classic! Sadly, I finished my Springbank 10 a few years ago 🙁
Best 10 in existence in my opinion. The 15 was great too 2021 but the 10 is just flat out perfection
Damn! You got me afraid to open any of my Springbanks unless I get a surprise visit from the Whiskylassie or if I find out I have 1 year to live. I have 2 of the 2019 10yo and a 2014 10yo as well as 3 - 2018 15 yo and an independent bottling of an 11 yo. The last time I had an open 15 yo, I put 50ml in a mini bottle and I've been tempted many times to take a sip. The 2019 10 yo were 70USD back then. They are now 100USD. The 15 yo were 130USD and were 160USD when they ran out.
Its only sold out online i know 3 places that have it. One of them is a petrol station.
I've not been able to buy a Springbank, but we've had Longrow and Kilkerran 12 available. I have one Hazelburn 10 and that's one of my favorites.
The Hazelburn 10 flies under the radar
I found the Hazelburn 10 to be a little too much on the sour/bitter side for my liking. It's not bad by any means though.
This whisky is almost impossible to get now on my side of the world. One of my favourites.
Just got a bottle and for a very reasonable price! Glad this fantastic whisky is still available at a fair price.
Usually order this one in hotel bar in Elgin but they had run out this time.Did have it in Gordon & McPhail though....
Found it for the first time last month. A couple of bottles virtually hidden on the bottom shelf of a big store in Chicago. $100 a bottle. I’ve yet to see a 15yo for sale here. I’m in North Carolina. We’ll never see it here.
Very happy when I got a hold of a bottle of the 10yo around christmas ‘21 at normal rrp. A scotch for special moments. Going slow with this one.
I have a bottle of Springbank 10 on the shelf. Daren't open it as couldn't replace.
Another great review, thanks.
Binnys in Wheeling has it in the( rear collectible )room for $100.
Agreed, Springbank, Kilkerran, and ever-evolving Loch Lomond are producing integrity bottling’s vs other mass produced swill.
Unfortunately, in Ohio,US… Springbank 10 costs $115+. 12 year is $160+.
I love, respect, and demand integrity bottling’s (we all should) but gods be good, can we afford them 🤷🏻♂️.
Love you Ralfy 👍🏼
Hi Ralfy. Greetings from New Zealand. Great review. How about a special episode on alternatives to Springbank 10. Your top 5! (If possible). I like KK12 or Benromach Cask Strength batch 4.
The distributor Springbank themselves sell to in my country actively marks up what it gets to close to secondary prices. Springbank can control which distributor they sell to, and choose to do business with more morally sound people, but they don’t. The secondary market, the investors, the flippers, have ruined played their part in damaging Springbank as well, to the point that I (and I know many others) don’t even try and bother finding it. It’s all well and good being the best whisky distillery going but if nobody can get their hands on a bottle, or need to pay a kings ransom to do so, it’s kind of redundant.
Love this dram. It has gotten mighty expensive in the states. On average 80.00 a bottle.
Exactly. Not worth it at that price, becoming over hyped like Pappy VanW in the bourbon world.
Thanks for a very enthusiastic review. I was at the end of the video surprised that the whisky only got 90 malt marks. I have had the same experience with several other whiskies that you have been extremely enthusiastic and positive about. I have never encounted you giving more than 91 marks. I wonder what it takes to get one or more of the last 9 malt marks. Could you some day explain your scale and how you get to the final score? (You might have done so before, but I haven't seen all of you videoes...)
I went down a rabbit hole a few years ago trying to find distilleries around the world that were operating similarly to Springbank. A promising one was Stauning in Denmark - open floor malting of local barley, (very) small direct-fired copper stills. Shell and tube condensers, however, and they don't seem to put out a simple age-stated 46% single malt. Bit of a waste, if you ask me, but I hope they'll get there!
I picked up a bottle of Kaos. And it's all about the rye, even though it's a triple malt spirit.
No one does barley like the Scotts. Even on a bad day it's more rounded and character full than most "world" malts.
Being in the US I have tried many domestics and there are only a handful that can stand side by side.
In Poland the availability of the least expensive bottle of Springbank starts at a 12yo cask strength selling for approx 450USD. All the best Ralfy, love your channel and always return when the weather gets colder.
. . . just too expensive.
To prawda!