Dry and unfamiliar style of springbank. I get farmyard and dusty book notes. A metallic note is lurking in the background, definitely less rich and mature than the recent 12yo-s. Needs quite some time to open up. Tasted H2H with batch 15 & 16.

Pleasant Springbank, although I prefer the new, dirty batches.

This is a deep and complex Springbank. Had to get used to it's sulphury side, though.

Wonderful. Incredibly complex. Fresh, yet mature—the casks used to age this whisky were clearly of high quality (which is such an important part of making a great whisky). This dram has a little bit of everything—here you can find elements of every style/region of Scottish single malts, so long as you take your time enjoying it.

The only real criticism I can find is that the finish is not as long as I would like, and the parts that do stick around are not the best parts of the palate. But it’s not like the finish is bad or short—it’s just not as great as the nose and palate. It can also be a bit tricky to add the right amount of water. In my opinion this does require at least a little water to fully enjoy—even a little more water than I would normally add to most cask strength malts. But if you go overboard with the water, you can easily drown the wonderful assortment of flavors, so it’s best to add only a drop at a time.

If the Springbank 10 year old is a wonderful introduction to single malt whisky for a newcomer (as I believe it is), this is truly a next level malt for whisky veterans. It takes a little more effort than some more straightforward single malts, but it’s time well spent. If you are lucky enough to have a bottle of this one, take your time and savor it.

Buy again? Absolutely, whenever I can find it.

Score: 92/100

Read my full review at http://meademule.com/2017/04/22/whisky-review-springbank-12-cask-strength/