Springbank 9 Year Old Local Barley 2009

Springbank 9 Year Old Local Barley is the 2018 release from Springbank Distillery’s sought-after Local Barley series. Distilled in July 2009 and bottled in October 2018, it was produced using Optic barley grown at High Cattadale Farm near Campbeltown. The whisky matured for nine years in a combination of 80% ex-Bourbon and 20% ex-Sherry casks before being bottled at a natural cask strength of 57.7% ABV. A total of 9,700 bottles were released. Springbank’s own current bar documentation confirms the barley source, cask composition and strength for this specific release. 

Food Pairing: Smoked salmon, fresh oysters, mature cheddar, grilled pork, toasted nuts or pear tart.

Tasting Notes: Full-bodied and characterful, combining locally grown barley, coastal minerality, orchard fruit, honeyed sweetness and gentle peat smoke.

Nose: Sea salt, fresh oysters and maritime notes followed by peppery spice, honeycomb and vanilla.

Palate: Creamy and oily with pear drops, barley sweetness, sherbet, sugar cane, nectarine and delicate heathery notes.

Finish: Long and gently smoky with dry peat, plum, raisins, cracked pepper and dry cereal notes. 

Serve: Enjoy neat initially to experience its 57.7% cask-strength character, then add a small amount of water to open the fruit, barley sweetness and coastal notes.