No need to tell you peat-smoked Springbank is actually the same as Longrow. But independent bottlers like Berry Bros & Rudd are not allowed to mention that on the label, so they have to call it peated Springbank.

This is the second peat-smoked Springbank from BBR, after sister cask #71 bottled in 2009.

Springbank 1992 ‘Peat-smoked’
(46%, Berry Bros & Rudd 2011, cask #61)

Nose: smooth and subtly peated, quite oily with some medicinal elements as well as more aromatic, fruity notes. Tangerine, pear and melon, I would say. Quite coastal as well, with iodine, wet sand and chalk. Wet wool. A little eucalyptus. Graphite. Hints of sweet lemon. Very clean and finely chiselled but not too austere, with the soft peat completely mixed with the rounder elements. Not too far from the legendary 1970’s Ardbegs in that respect, which is quite an achievement. Mouth: also quite oily, with the same elements we saw on the nose. Again perfectly in the middle between austere and rounded. A soft bitterness, a soft sweetness and a soft peatiness, how’s that for balance? Fresh lemon. Mineral notes. Soft spices (pepper, ginger and a pinch of salt). Cold ashes. Finish: long and powerful, still mineral with some sweet lemon and soot.

In case you’ve missed cask #71, here’s a perfect replacement. Is it indecent to hope for a cask strength version one day? That could be out of this world. Around € 110.

Score: 90/100