Springbank - 15 Year Old Scotch Malt Whisky (750ml)

As the eye takes in the dark, russet colour of the 15 Year Old, the nose anticipates the rich sweet smell of the sherry casks used to mature this age of Springbank. The anticipation is rewarded as you remove the cork and allow the sherry aromas to drift out. However the sweet nose on this dram only begins to suggest the full range of flavours which emerge on the palate; dark chocolate, figs, marzipan, brazil nuts and vanilla all mingle. Warming and elegant on the finish.

The complex, understated bouquet finds aromas of barley malt, seaweed, heather, oaky vanilla, honey, sherry cask, scrambled egg and minerals. The palate entry is oily, buttery and oaky sweet; by midpalate the flavors include assertive tastes of marzipan, marshmallow, baked pear/peach pastry and bacon fat. Finishes with a luscious fruit/grape thrust. A masterpiece. Score: 96-100. April 01, 2008.