Springbank 2001 OB  Vintage 2001 batch 1 – 55,3% vol - 70cl
distilled: 2001 - bottled july 2009

scores:
whiskybase – 87/115
malt maniacs – 88/5
serge valentin - 89 points

Springbank 2001 (55.3%, OB, 2009)  It all started as a joke on Malt Maniacs’ pages on Facebook, where our friend Peter asked for notes for this baby. Tasting on demand? Why not, I had a sample at hand… Colour: straw. Nose: a lot of malty and flinty notes at first nosing, reminding me of the recent 1997s but with less vanilla, that is to say less cask influence. Develops more on green apples and gooseberries, liquorice allsorts, even hints of marshmallows but I wouldn’t say it’s pearish. There’s an obvious ‘coastal oiliness’ coating the whole, distinct whiffs of peat smoke and a little linseed oil, with also a faint farminess (wet hay). The whole is fresh and very clean (but not of the ‘simple’ kind of cleanliness.) With water: more smoke! Other than that it just goes on in the same direction… Maybe a little mint? Mouth (neat): excellent attack, rich yet firm and pleasantly sharp, lemony and grassy, with that typical kind of oiliness that’s only to be found in recent Springbanks in my opinion. Between almond oil and lemonade, with a pleasant bitterness (lemon peel)… It doesn’t taste immature at all. With water: same, with maybe more grapefruits. Is that cranberries in the background? Finish: very long, lemony, smoky and rather salty. Very clean and fresh aftertaste. Comments: I believe this was matured or finished in quarter casks or even octaves (have to check). What’s sure is that there are no signs of a boringly modern ‘all-vanilla’ profile here, the whole being very superb at such young age. Very clever wood policy if you ask me. SGP:363 – 89 points.