Let’s keep the month of reviews of younger whiskies going. Following my reviews of the Kilkerran Work in Progress 1 and an Ardbeg 10 from 2013, here is a Springbank 11. This was released around the same time as that Kilkerran and was one of my first forays into purchasing limited release whiskies. I had enjoyed the Springbank 10 and the Springbank 15 (available at a startlingly low price from a store in Minneapolis known for their low mark-ups) a lot and so plonked down my money for this 11 yo. It was not a single cask release—900 bottles total were bottled at cask strength—but the spirit had spent the entire 11 years in the madeira casks. I enjoyed it greatly and purchased more than one bottle over the next year or two (of course, in those days excellent whiskies stayed on the shelves for much longer). Indeed, it was the gateway for me into Springbank’s Wood Expressions series (see also the Claret Wood and the Calvados Wood—to say nothing of all the 12 yo sherry cask releases from the 1996 vintage). Years later, when my friend Patrick S. offered me a bottle, I was only to happy to take him up on it. Now that it’s open, I can finally review an old favourite.

Springbank 11, 1997, Madeira Cask (55.1%; from my own bottle)

Nose: Sweet dried fruit off the top: raisins, apricot, a bit of orange peel. On the second sniff there’s some salt. As it sits, the apricot comes to the fore and it’s a bit brandied. A couple of drops of water push back the salt and emphasize the sweetness.

Palate: Comes in with the salt leading the way, along with a lick of smoke and some savoury gunpowder; the dried fruit is behind. Very approachable at full strength; good texture. Sweeter as it sits, with a bit of cherry emerging to join the dried fruit. Drier with a few drops of water and there’s a fair bit of dried orange peel; the gunpowder gets pushed back.

Finish: Long. The salt and saltpeter fade out together, with the salt getting the last word. Dried orange peel here too with water but it’s the salt that still has the last word.

Comments: 2025 me confirms what 2009 me thought: this is a lovely whisky. The wine is perfectly integrated with the spirit and the Springbank character comes out clearly. Glad to be able to drink more of it all these years later.

Rating: 88 points.