Springbank 21 yo 1967 / 1989 Signatory #3137 46%

I admit sometimes I, like many others, view 46% with suspicion. The zeitgeist worships cask strength but when you have examples like this at hand, it makes you wonder. Nosing this, we are thrown into a diverse and profuse flavourscape. We are immediately met with old phenolic oils, tars, dark resin soaked woods and soot, but also roasting nuts, thick beeswax, some sort of salted marzipan, dried lemon, salty air, oily exhaust and hot machinery, all colliding but harmonious like colours in a kaleidoscope. Something rich something dry, seaside, dry peat, smoke, sarsaparilla, deep phenols, smoking charred sweet potato on blackened grills, licorice extract and chalk, all rolled up in 46% – which incidentally does nothing to limit the palate or finish. Believe me, a stunning Springbank. 93.5 pts