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Springbank 1965-1992 - 27 Year Old - SMWS 27.21 - Truly Great Whisky
Springbank 1965 - 1992. 27 Year Old. Bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Society cask number 27.21. Truly Great Whisky. 70cl. 52.8%. 92.4 Proof.
An early Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling of Springbank, distilled in February 1965 and bottled in March 1992 at 27 years old. Matured in an Amoroso sherry butt and released as Society cask number 27.21 at 52.8% ABV (92.4 proof).
Springbank whisky from the 1960s is particularly sought after, representing an important period in the distillery's history. During this era, Springbank continued to employ traditional production methods, including floor malting, direct-fired distillation and its distinctive two-and-a-half-times distillation process. These older vintages have developed a considerable following among whisky enthusiasts, with surviving examples prized for their complexity, oily texture and distinctive Campbeltown character.
Distilled in 1965, this whisky also predates the difficult years that followed for Campbeltown's whisky industry, including Springbank's temporary closure in 1979. Bottlings from this earlier period have become increasingly scarce, particularly those matured for more than two decades.
Released in the winter of 1992 with an original selling price of just £50, this bottling offers an interesting glimpse into the early days of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The Society's original tasting notes describe a rich sherry influence, with aromas of pear drops, liquorice and confectionery, followed by an intensely dry, salty palate reminiscent of anchovies. The tasting panel considered it a truly great whisky, although one best appreciated by experienced drinkers.
Founded in 1983, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society built its reputation on bottling individual casks at natural strength, identifying each distillery by a numerical code. Springbank was assigned number 27, making this the Society's 21st cask bottling from the distillery.
A fascinating example of 1960s Springbank, combining long maturation in an Amoroso sherry butt with the character of one of Campbeltown's most celebrated distilleries.
From the archives:
Another of Springbank's excellent amoroso butts has given a golden colour to a spirit strong enough to make you cough if sniffed on its own. With water the sherry nose becomes sweeter and sourer, with peardrops and liquorice: like dipping into a bag of allsorts or sniffing plasticine warmed in the hand. The taste is very strong and very dry. It is salty, like anchovies, but without the fishiness. For those practised in the art: a truly great whisky and, if you can afford it, worth the price. Release in winter 1992 the original price was £50.
Springbank is one of the giants of the Scotch whisky world, an independently-owned distillery dedicated to preserving the traditional methods of distillation. For a long time Springbank was flying the flag for Campbeltown whisky almost alone but the distillery’s fortunes have improved since the 1990s, and in 2000 Springbank expanded their operations with the purchase and subsequent reconstruction of the Glengyle distillery, home of Kilkerran.
The Springbank distillery produces three distinct single malt whiskies, with the regular lightly-peated Springbank malt complemented by the heavily-peated Longrow and the unpeated, triple-distilled Hazelburn. Of these secondary malts, Longrow has a longer history and more passionate fanbase, with the 1973/74 vintages in particular attracting eye-catching prices at auction. The standard Springbank spirit remains one of Scotland’s greatest whiskies, and auction prices for old bottles continue to rise.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) began in late 1970s Edinburgh when founder Pip Hills persuaded a group of friends to chip in for a cask of Glenfarclas, and was officially formalised in 1983. Today the SMWS has members rooms in Edinbrugh, Glasgow and London and a string of international partnerships serving its 40,000 members.
The Society’s whiskies are known for their unique SMWS coding system. Each cask bottled is assigned two numbers, representing the distillery and the bottling number, so 1.45 is the forty-fifth cask bottled from the first distillery and 33.27 is the 27th cask from the 33rd distillery.
Glenmorangie bought the Society in 2004, but sold it in 2015 to a private consortium who floated the SMWS on the stock market in 2021 via their holding company Artisanal Spirits Co.