Springbank 1973 18 Years Old 57.5% Rum Butt Cadenhead

From Whiskyfun.com

This one was nicknamed the ‘green Springbank’ and it’s a truly legendary bottling – there were two versions, actually, both fully matured in rum butts instead of just finished like the distillery did in more recent times. Some say it was a mistake… If it’s true, some mistakes have very happy outcomes!

Colour: orange – bronze (don’t worry, it’s not plain green).

Nose: powerful, starting on raisins (sultanas but also Smyrna) and candy sugar. It’s not hugely rich (especially after the 1965 and despite the long pause). Unusual notes of candied citrons and apricots, seaweed (really), lemon-flavoured yoghurt, coconut (is that Springbank or the rum?) The sultanas grow even bolder after a moment, it gets also a little like a marc… Do I like it? Yes, it’s fabulous, even if a little confusing at the start.

Mouth: now it’s thick and fat, almost greasy. Lots of nuts, olive oil, sultanas (of course), prunes… It’s not hot but very warming! Crystallised oranges, kumquats, and pineapple, coconut milk, blackcurrant jelly, light caramel, barley water, sugar cane cordial… Amazing! Gets then minty and camphory just like the 1965…

And the finish, even if not as long as the 1965’s, is still pretty long, sweeter, more civilized and jammier (lots of oranges). Maybe not as spectacular as the 1965 but still totally fabulous, no wonder this has now become a cult bottle. Can’t you just make the same again in Campbeltown!? I mean, exactly the same… 93 points.