Springbank 19yo 1991/2011 (56.1%, Murray McDavid, Refill Sherry Cask, 559 bts)
In the 17th and 18th Century, Campbeltown was the heart of the whisky industry. Today, only three distilleries remain, of which Springbank is the best known. It was founded in 1828 on Kintyre by Archibald Mitchell and almost 200 years later, is run by his great great grandson Hedley G. Wright. The quality of Springbank became world famous when a certain John Walker from Kilmarnock purchased 118 gallons for his blended whisky. The distillery is traditional in the sense that all the steps of the production take place on site: growing barley, malting, distilling, maturing and bottling. Springbank produces three different single malts: Springbank, Longrow (heavily peated) and Hazelburn (non-peated and triple distilled). In 2010, Whisky Magazine awarded Springbank the title ‘Distiller of the Year’.