THE WATCHER — NIGHT OWL DRAW

The whisky capital that almost vanished

Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula in the west of Scotland, was once one of the great whisky towns of the world, with more than thirty distilleries working at its peak. Today only a few remain, and Springbank is one of the handful still making single malt there.

Two centuries in one family

Springbank was licensed in 1828 by the Reid brothers. In 1837 they sold it to John and William Mitchell, and the business became J&A Mitchell. In 1872 John Mitchell bought the distillery outright, while William went on to build the neighbouring Glengyle distillery. Nearly two centuries later, Springbank is still family-owned by J&A Mitchell & Company.

Surviving the hard times

Springbank has been through tough years. It closed in 1926, when Prohibition in the United States hit the whisky trade, and reopened in 1936. It shut again in 1979 because of the poor state of the UK economy, before coming back to life in 1989.

Everything done by hand, on site

What makes Springbank special is that it does every single step itself, from malting the barley to bottling the finished whisky. It is the only distillery in Scotland to do this. All of its barley is malted on its own traditional malting floor and dried using peat from Islay, rather than bought in from industrial maltings.

Two and a half times distilled

Springbank is famous for its unusual distillation. Some of the spirit passes through the stills twice and some three times, and the stillman judges the balance to keep the character consistent. The result is described as "two and a half times distilled." The same distillery also makes two sister whiskies: heavily peated Longrow, which is distilled twice, and unpeated Hazelburn, which is distilled three times.

Springbank 10 Year Old

The 10 Year Old is the classic introduction to Springbank. It is medium-peated, matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration or added colouring, so the whisky is shown exactly as it comes from the cask.

In the glass

• Nose: fresh citrus and pear with a light touch of peat, dried fruit and a briny, coastal edge
• Palate: creamy and rich, with smoke, heather, honey, vanilla, warm spice and a salty note
• Finish: long and peppery, with lemon, peat and malt

New to picking out flavours like these? Our guide on how to taste whisky like a pro walks you through nose, palate and finish step by step.

More from the Vault

When The Keeper rests, The Watcher guards the Vault. Our Night Owl draws take place in the small hours, so keep an eye out for the next one. Meanwhile, see who has already won on our winners list, or browse all of our live whisky competitions. You can also win a free bottle every month, and our FAQs explain how entries, draws and free postal entry work.