Another birthday, another birth year bottle. I picked this up at auction a while back after I decided I wanted 5 birth year bottles to have a different one each year for five years and revisit each every fifth year. And fortuitously so, as this particular bottle has skyrocketed in price relative to the already high price I paid for it. Anyway, this is the fourth of those bottles and I’ve really been looking forward to it.
Springbank 12 1989 Rum Wood, Campbeltown Single Malt, 54.6% ABV
Minutia: Distilled in 1989, matured with a finish in ex-rum casks, and bottled in April 2002. 1 of 5700 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Deep gold; 0.8.
Nose: Tropical and red fruit. Green wood. Bit feinty. An overall malty undertone to it all. With water: molasses, brown sugar, honey, vanilla.
Taste: Springbanky, feinty malt. Spices, bittersweet. Some smokiness. With water: lower spice, different bitter.
Finish: Spiced Springbank. Malt, coffee beans. Long. With water: spicier.
It’s nice, and definitely a Springbank, but I wondered whether it was a bit stronger than I like, thus the notes including with water. Overall I’d say it did not help. Still, it was good, but if anyone is thinking about this at auction, pass on the price it’s going for. This is one I’m rather looking forward to in five years to compare the sample I poured this year to a bottle that’s been opened for five years.
Score: 84
Musical Evocation: Alestorm – “That Famous Ol’ Spiced”
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