What's in a name? Springbank 18 Year Old Second Edition whisky is called whisky because it's produced in Scotland. Were it from America it would be spelled Springbank 18 Year Old Second Edition whiskey, rather than whisky.
Nose: Berry fruits, toasted bananas, caramel, cocoa, peppery, fruity, coastal. Quite oily.
Palate: Big, spicy and gutsy, with notes of pepper, chilli, pine, aniseed, rich fruits, oily.
Finish: Long, salty and chocolatey with hints of fruit.
Just finishing a flight of 10, 15 and 18 and have to say, the 18 comes out way on top. Lovely soft, rich mouthfeel, somewhat oily and with the trademark springbank notes. Will definately be picking up a bottle or two of this when I have the cash!
I am a Springer fan 100%. I really, really enjoy the 18 year. Having said that, I do not believe that it is worth the extra money. Buy the 15.
Nose: sea salt, Bakewell tart, floral blossoms. Taste: hint of late autumnal fruits (e.g. Blackberry, slow and mulberry). Passive smokiness. Like playing volleyball on the beach. Concluding remarks: splendid light participant of the springbank collection.
Got a bottle for Christmas and have just opened it and it is very interesting. Heavy on the aniseed at first but leave it a little time and it has come on lovely. Nice hints of honey coming thro' now. Yes this will do nicely indeed.
Just got a bottle for my 18th wedding anniversary. My first bottle of Springbank, matter of fact the first 18 yr old to grace my cabinet. I have had many other single malts, mostly 12 yr. My experience of flavors of this tiny dram runs the gammit from everything described in the other reviews with a subtle smoke at the end of the palate that lingers. This is the best dram I have had to date. I had my dram on whisky rocks, no ice, no water added and I found it to open up very nicely on it's own.
Just got a bottle for my 18th wedding anniversary. My first bottle of Springbank, matter of fact the first 18 yr old to grace my cabinet. I have had many other single malts, mostly 12 yr. My experience of flavors of this tiny dram runs the gammit from everything described in the other reviews with a subtle smoke at the end of the palate that lingers. This is the best dram I have had to date. I drank it on whisky rocks, no ice, no water added and I found it to open up very nicely on it's own.
In doing some serious side-by-side tasting of this versus the 15-year-old; this came out clearly on top. The difference is significant and by my wallet, worth the extra money. If you like this one, I would also suggest the Hazelburn 12-year-old, and the 19-year-old single cask 482 which I preferred over the 15 year old.