Taster

Nose: Fresh brine. Coconut flesh. A suggestion of banana.

Palate: Sweet. Oily. Winey. Marsala? Vine leaves.

Finish: Dryish. Gently warming. Long. Very late smokiness and saltiness.

Comment: The characteristic salt and coconut characteristics of Springbank are very evident in this bottling, but perhaps overwhelmingly so. I may need more time to understand this one.

Score: 8.5

Taster

Nose: Midly sawdust like but enriched by a dazzling array of spicy, very faintly smoked fruit notes.

Palate: An outstanding tidal wave of spicy, oaky tones level out to reveal a multi-layered richness of malt. All supremely balanced.

Finish: Long, toasty and dries very slowly to offer further complexity.

Comment: Truly brilliant for a whisky of this age with not a single sign of deterioration.

Score: 9