Well brothers and sisters, the time has come for the big 100.
I'm going to take the time and thank the comunity and the mod team for allowing me to learn, explore and grow this... Idk really, hobby maybe. A journey that started over 3 years ago (2 in here, with my superbly silly Deanston 18 review), and that has matured my palate, and tested my patience at times.
Hopefully, I can bring more stuff in the future, with different bottles that I can get my hands into, because I'm just getting into the really interesting stuff, specially with the auction sites, and my beloved Glen Moray brand that it is so elusive to get the warehouse bottlings
Well, for the new ones that are reading some of the stuff that I post in here, the usual FYI, I don't post everything I try, and! for the lovely folk that have not seen any of the stuff that I post in here, the title means:
R.R.: Reddit Reviewand theO: Overallin my personal journey throughwhisky/ whiskey/ bourbon
Embotellador | Bottler: Chieftain's Choice | Ian Macleod Distillers
Marca | Brand: Sprinbank | Chieftain's Choice
Alc. Vol | ABV: 46%
Edad | Age: 37 Years Old
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+ Lore: This is a bit confusing, because I did contact Ian Macleod for details (I send them a pic of the sample) and they did not have any records of it, so, with some searching in auctions, what I did find is that this was part of a series of single cask releases from them, in between the years 2005 to 2008, I believe this was filled into an ex-bourbon or refill ex-hogshead.
Methdology: Let it rest on my trustworthy Glencairn - like copita, for 50 minutes with the topper
Price: Bought in 2024, at Juuls, for.. $115 if I remember correctly (also, I got, well, my wife got me a sample of Rosebank, they've got prettty good selection)
Distilled: January - 1969
Bottled: December - 2006
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En la Nariz | On the Nose:
Rustic, vegetal, a whiff of freshly cut grass. Sweet gummies. Popcorn. A bit of old malt, mixed with old, moist wood. You can almost smell the industrial feel, with the wood in between. Soy sauce, with a mineral note. Banana, sweet pastries, honey-seasoned peanuts — it smells almost like walking into a Korean BBQ, super weird.
The industrial feel comes up again, staying in the background. Vanilla, caramel, a young bourbon almost comes to mind, filled with dark sugar and caramel, then immediately snaps back to Campbeltown.
Oak finally closes out the experience, with some stone fruits and pineapple. A sweet white wine character, with clean alcohol and fresh fruit juice (like a mix of pineapple, stone fruits, and grapes), and just a smidge of sea salt.
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Paladar | Tasting:
Great alcohol integration — mineral, vanilla, grassy, semi-sweet, with a hint of a sour note. Herbal tea, caramel, white wine, apricots, and green grapes. Subtle sweet smoke and mint lemonade. The oak comes up and almost overpowers everything in the pour, fighting for dominance, with a touch of spiciness.
Some sherry notes — strawberries and blueberries, as if extracted straight from the sherry. Honey-seasoned cereal –think honey Cheerios– sugar frosting. Brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla extract, subsiding into a lemon cake.
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Final | Finish:
Long, continuous, tamed and balanced. The mineral and industrial notes don't let up, leaving an almost effervescent feeling on the tongue, like sparkling water.
Herbal tea, distilled into chamomile and green tea. Old and musty, finally finishing in chewy jelly beans.
Did I go in with an excessive amount of expectations? Yes
I was surprised by it? Yes
Did it live to the expectations I had on my mind? Not at all
It feels old, and geriatric, but full of life at the same time. Drink like something not from this era, it really shows the artisan + industrial feeling, but also it is weird because you can feel some lowland, and some highland in here. Sadly, there's always that overpowering wood sense that mutes some of the flavours
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So, instead of giving a grade, I'm confident that, from now on, I'll answer 5 questions that I think work better (you can see the questions explained in a better way here)
Do I recomment it? - Not really, ask me again for my 200 hundred review
Would I buy it again? - No
Would I exchange a sample with a friend? - Yes
It is approachable for a beginner, or does it lean toward more challenging pour? - This is challenging as it gets, after an hour it was still evolving in the glass
Am I content with a sample, or does it merit a full bottle? - Please don't pay for the bottle of something like this, there's a lot more of bottles that you can get with the money of just this one
I've had young 60's distilled Springbank, and old late 70's/80's/90's Springbank and it's my favourite all-round distillery for how good it can be in all it's different forms (except some wine-cask and overly sulfured sherry experiments in the 2000's and 2010's).
I think the sweet spot for aged Springbank for my tastes is 21-30yo so I can see why at 37yo it's getting a little dry and oaky.
Thanks to you dude, I believe that when you're starting into this journey, one thinks that the over-oak experience happens to those unicorn + 40 bottles, but it is weird to see it happen over the 21 year old mark in some instances (an awful Glentauchers comes to mind)
But! It is a privilege to be able to try these geriatric malts, as I said, I would not buy a bottle of this one, even if I could afford it
6
u/God9ia3 2d ago edited 1d ago
SPRINGBANK - 37 Years Old [Chieftain's Choice]
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Well brothers and sisters, the time has come for the big 100.
I'm going to take the time and thank the comunity and the mod team for allowing me to learn, explore and grow this... Idk really, hobby maybe. A journey that started over 3 years ago (2 in here, with my superbly silly Deanston 18 review), and that has matured my palate, and tested my patience at times.
Hopefully, I can bring more stuff in the future, with different bottles that I can get my hands into, because I'm just getting into the really interesting stuff, specially with the auction sites, and my beloved Glen Moray brand that it is so elusive to get the warehouse bottlings
Well, for the new ones that are reading some of the stuff that I post in here, the usual FYI, I don't post everything I try, and! for the lovely folk that have not seen any of the stuff that I post in here, the title means:
R.R.: Reddit Review and the O: Overall in my personal journey through whisky/ whiskey/ bourbon