Springbank 1965-2002 - Lombard Jewels Of Scotland

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.

Lombard Whisky Company was founded by Margaret Lombard-Chibnall in the 1960s. The Lombard-Chibnall family had already been in the drinks trade for generations when the first written record of their business occurred in 1762, and Lombard Whisky Co. remained independent and family owned, with Lombard-Chibnall later joined by her son Richard as Global Brand Director.

Lombard was based on the Isle of Man, and began as a bulk whisky wholesaler before subsequently moving into blending and bottling their own proprietary brands of single malt, blended malt and blended Scotch whiskies. The company was dissolved in 2019 but is most famous for its excellent Jewels of Scotland single malts, which featured highly sought-after bottlings of Brora, Macallan, Port Ellen and Springbank.