Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1%

Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1%

It beggars belief how good these ‘local barleys’ were. Here a seamless ball of dark engine oil, white smoke, deep layers of overripe fruit and hot sand roll about, enrobed in heavy vegetable oil, slightly sweet and aromatized by resinous incense. The complexity piles on. Dark smears of grimy soot on old cedar chests, camphor, eucalyptus and dry black earth. Lit coals and a drop of gentian oil on a garage rag. Despite its breadth it remains a tightly woven whisky held together effortlessly and with not a rough edge or off angle in olfactory sight. On the tongue it’s all this and more, getting peatier and earthier with shades of alpine herb ointments and wet stones emerging. As the finish approaches, we are taken into ascerbic territories with oxidised juice and sap, with a tiny sprinkle of salt. Protean and superlative whisky. 95 pts