Springbank 12yo Cask Strength Extravaganza: 2022.11.12.

Now that it’s been more than a year since the last release of the last CS12yo I saw it fit to go into my sample cabinet and dig up all the batches I could find. Here is what it resulted in: a gargantuan tasting of 13 different batches. I had to turn to decimal scores to do justice to this session (this is something I haven’t done before, mind you). In Order of my preference:

Batch #21 (45% Sherry, 25% Bourbon, 25% Burgundy 5% Port) 56.1%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/168596
87.2 / 86.4 / 85.6
This one is a bit of a confused batch for me, too much is going on at the same time. It has some nice pine resin notes and lots of wet wine cask character. The cask influence takes over distillery character too much for my taste.
86.4

Batch #12 (65% Sherry, 35% Bourbon) 54.1%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/77708
87.4 / 87.2 / 87.3
This batch drinks quite a bit younger than its age. There is a sulphury quality on the nose and a particular earthy smokiness.
87.3

Batch #22 (50% Sherry, 50% Bourbon) 55.4%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/183244
87.4 / 87.8 / 87.2
Most definitely, a modern style of SB distillate, the funkiness is elevated, and I even find some of the HB bitterness on the finish, I like this style. The spicy, resinous European oak is rather present on the palate.
87.4

Batch #16 (70% Sherry, 30% Bourbon) 56.3%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/105550
87.8 / 88.2 / 87.4
This one has a good balance of sherry and bourbon, some roastiness, dried fruits, wood smoke, some nuttiness even. The malt comes through cleanly with lots of vanilla and floral notes, there is just a hint of menthol as well.
87.8

Batch #13 (70% Sherry, 30% Bourbon) 56.3%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/85595
88.2 / 88.4 / 87.2
A more sherry forward batch with intense spiciness and complex boiled or candied fruit notes. Camphor, dirty distillate - farmyard, drying woodiness on the finish.
87.9

Batch #18 (50% Bourbon, 50% Sherry) 54.8%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/125395
88.2 / 88.4 / 87.6
This has some very nice honied sweetness as well as floral freshness accompanying the rich maltiness and spiciness of the spirit. Fresh and white-oak-forward.
88.1

Batch #17 (70% Sherry, 30% Bourbon) 56.2%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/116449
88.4 / 88.6 / 87.6
Intense, rich maltiness, vibrant spices and honey. Minerally distillate, earthy smoke in beautiful balance with the fruity, syrupy cask influence.
88.2

Batch#23 (100% Bourbon) 55.9%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/192086
88.6 / 89.0 / 88.2
Very modern green type of American oak influence. A bit sappy, almost too sweet… but the creamy texture and the floral barley character comes through from the spirit, making it a very clean, juicy expression from the distillery. Most definitely dominated by the first-fill white oak.
88.6

Batch #19 (65% Bourbon, 35% Sherry Casks) 57.1%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/138854
88.6 / 89.4 / 88.4
Smoky, dirty, resinous. Roasted malt and a bit of waxiness from the distillate. Strong honey note, vanilla, ripe fruits, and a touch of sulphur alongside the SB funk.
88.8

Batch #20 (35% Sherry, 65% Bourbon) 55.3%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/148336
89.6 / 89.4 / 88.4
Heavy body, creamy, malty, spirit driven. Nice depth and sweetness from the reserved sherry influence. The barley comes through clearly, heavy oily texture, farmy, funky aromas. Almost reminiscent of the recent local barleys.
89.2

Blues Edition (100% Bourbon) 57.3%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/21544
88.6 / 90.2 / 89.4
A masterpiece in floral bourbon maturation. Leathery, waxy and dirty, exploding with floral complexity and mineral hay notes. Almost no smoke, but a tiny bit of farminess. Drinks considerably older than 12 years.
89.4

Batch #15 (70% Sherry, 30% Bourbon) 56.5%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/99298
89.2 / 89.6 / 89.4
Strong, spicy sherry influence, concentrated smoky fruitiness. Earthy vanilla, oily barley and pronounced farmy funk. This is one of the most intense batches and one of the dirtiest. The style of ‘dirty’ sherry casks is reminiscent of the old-school SB-sherry-funk.
89.4

Batch #9 (100% Sherry) 54.3%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/57458
90.2 / 90.2 / 89.4
Elegant and fruity style of sherry comint through. Classic oloroso aromas, in perfect harmony with the dry and farmyard-y spirit. Spices from the resinous European oak, white pepper nutmeg, vegetal freshness and honied floral notes. Dry maltiness, some plaster, earthy smoke; all enveloped in thick juicy sherry.
89.9

And the baseline: Springbank 10yo (20/151) 46%
https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/180670
87.6 / 87.4 / 87.2
Fresh woody and yeasty. Bitter funkiness not unlike HB, and some plaster. Fresh floral honey, some damp hay, dried apples and pears, waxy texture, barley-sweetness. Camphor and sharp spices give more depth.
87.4

Powerful, solid, not too complex

Klater smoke, peat, vanilla biscuits, citrusy, spicy, ginger, pepper, honey, vanilla, powdered sugar, peppery. Medium complexity, full-bodied, nice texture, warming, delicate, creamy, vanilla sweetness, balanced, good intensity. With a little water, the liveliness disappears.

Very nice dram with typical "dirty" Springbank notes. Many others allready wrote specific notes so I can hardly add anything extra to it. I like the finish best.

I found this difficult to access at first, but by the end of the bottle I was enjoying it enormously.

More than any other distillery, I really feel I learn something new from every Springbank I drink.

Powerful, intense whisky. Fruity, salty.very pleasant.

I enjoyed this so much less than I thought I would. The 10 is pretty much a masterpiece of standard level whisky, so 2 extra years and no dilution should be moreso, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. It was just kind of overwhelming at first, which was surprising since I’ve had easier times with similarly and more highly proofed expressions. I did grow to appreciate it more over time, and it’s far from bad (not even close), but I don’t think it’s worth the premium over the 10.

with water. No, definitely not, it is so perfectly balanced

Conclusion: As always a board, the 12 yo CS never disappoints, especially the finish is really great here.

Young, bright dessert whisky, Springbank's profile is quite recognizable, whisky is very well balanced and consistent

Simple like a single bucket.

I had just one glass from a freshly opened bottle at a bar, so I dearly hope it develops over time. Some earlier batches, like 9, were much more to my liking when just opened.

Try it in a direct cross-comparison to Batch 14. Batch 14 dates from 2017 and thus still falls into the “wedding” of the 12-CS, which is mainly sherry barrel-matured. Batch 19 is the first edition after the 50:50 of Batch 18 with a focus on ex-bourbon casks. The color difference is not extreme, but clear, while # 19 is presented in pure gold, # 14 has a clear caramel brown tinge.

Two points off taste for sulphur. I know the distillery will say "there's no sulphur in the cask," but I taste rubber bands and match sticks, whatever the reason. Without this setback, I would have given this whisky a 90. It's better in some ways than Batch 20, more complex, but Batch 20 has no sulphur, so one point higher for Batch 19. Batch 15 is my favorite in a long while. It needs time to oxygenate but once it does . . . heaven. A few too many double (and triple?) refill sherry casks though. Not enough fresh sherry wood. But for the price beggars can't be choosers. It's very very good for the price.

This is my first time tasting Springbank, having had some of the Longrow reds and the 21 year, and some Kilkerran 12 and 8 (2019) This was good but not as impressive as I thought it would be. Perhaps it needs a bit more time to breathe. Will revisit.

EDIT: second time thought more highly of it. Bumping by a point. I also think I get some paprika on the end of the palate? Yum

Sweet and rich. One of the best in the CS12 line

Nice bottle for drinking in the evening. I’m more pleased to pour in a drum from Springbank than with another somehow ordinary mediocre regular.

19 batches were perfectly balanced. Chery barrels are so fresh and powerful that their presence in small quantities gave excellent results. Compared to 16/17 batches, this is all the more powerful, balanced, which does not stick out and develops in layers. The profile of the distillery is well recognized, and the quality is maintained from year to year at a high level. Springbank is definitely one of my favorite distilleries????????

Moderate and simple batch, the more sherried ones was better.

Balance (22)
A little twitchy but good. An empty glass smells of an extinct match (88)

So they got it back ... As already mentioned in the nose: More bourbon than sherry, but with nice sherry notes in the nose. Good thing that they decided to increase the share of bourbon barrels.

After the solo tasting I did a parallel tasting with the previous batch # 18 54.8 vol .-%.
Interestingly, # 19 comes across as a lot more sherry than Batch # 18, although Batch # 18 contains 50% / 50% more sherry casks. Batch # 19 looks more aroma-rich in comparison, while Batch # 18 looks "livelier" and fresher.
The same picture on the tongue: Batch # 19 "darker" and earthy, Batch # 18 airier and fresher. Batch # 19 must have had some very active sherry casks at work. The spice concentration is much higher in Batch # 19, while Batch # 18 can score with a refreshing note of apricot compote. Although you shouldn't actually see it as a competition, everyone has their own qualities in their own way.
In the finish they are similar, so there is no denying the kinship.

Ridiculously low score for a Springer 12 CS I know, but really don't like this one at all! I have a fair few 12 CSs in my collection & wasn't at all sure about the 'Spring' 2019 #18 either, but I think it was better than this: the 50:50 bourbon to sherry cask ratio on the last one I thought would bring out more of the distiller character, but I felt a lot was lost from the expression in the process. I therefore jumped on this one at 65:35 as a return to former times but it's frankly odd......it's already morphed considerably since opening so I'm hoping it improves with oxidation, but so far no good:

Very disappointed - bought 2x bottles & the other is going into auction I'm afraid....as bad or worse than the heavily sulphured #17, but in a different hot-chilli-pepper spicy way!!

Revised score - I was bit premature perhaps as it's settled down now & hot spice/,pepper is just starting tail end of finish: so up to 86.