Springbank 25 Years Old Frank McHardy 40 Years in Distilling 46% 1974

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Serge Valentin (89)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: Rather syrupy with ripe melon and salted almond notes. Some golden syrup, caramelised brown sugar, lanolin, bandages, ointment and a profile that generally moves more towards soft coastal characteristics and medicine. In time a leathery and more mushroomy side emerges; notes of mineral oil, butter biscuit, herbal flatbread and olive oil. I like it but there’s a sort of ‘opaqueness’ about it - which is something I’ve found in other 74 Springbanks. Mouth: lots of cooked grains in olive oil, some peppered mackerel, white flowers, beach pebbles, soot, light ointment and a slight vegetal side that suggest artichokes and white asparagus. In time there’s these slightly more acidic notes and hints of sack cloth, aspirin and lime juice. Finish: Long and on burnt seaweed, black olives, medicine, a little dry oatmeal and salted butter. Comments: This has been a little bit of a divisive bottling over the years and I can see why. In parts it is quite extreme but at the same time the ‘Springbankness’ of it is often rather elusive. Still, I think it’s good whisky, just a tad unlikely.