Beyond Tasting Notes: My Personal Springbank Blend and a Different Approach to Whisky Reviews
After years of collecting memories and sharing drams with family and friends, I finally begin my whisky review journey with a truly one-of-a-kind bottle: my personal Springbank blend created during the Eat, Sleep, Dram Repeat experience at Springbank Distillery. More than tasting notes and scores, this is a story of passion, friendship, food, and the experiences that make whisky unforgettable. Discover why I’m taking a different approach to whisky reviews, one built on stories, carefully crafted recipes, and the moments that bring people together.
6/23/20263 min read
The journey in whisky that I described in the previous post arrived at the summit this past September when Christina and I stayed at Springbank distillery for the eat, sleep, dram repeat experience. This experience was the top item of my whisky bucket list, second only to visiting Springbank distillery with my father. (which will be happening in July). This pinnacle has lead me to the decision about reviewing whisky on my website. Being a professional chef and a whisky connoisseur I’m delighted to share my many experiences with you of food and whisky.
This online space is so crowded with different types of influencers and writers that are all essentially covering whisky with tasting notes, an opinion and a score. I want to approach this blog from a completely different angle; bring personal experiences and carefully crafted recipes that have brought family and friends together.
Rummaging through my brain, books and scribbled notes of all the reviews and whiskeys I have tried, tasted, sat with, enjoyed…I’m in a general quandary of sorts trying to decide what would be the first whisky I would review. Since I’m trying to bring a unique view to this space I finally decided to review my personal blend 1 of 1 bottle and unique style of Springbank that I blended at the distillery in September. Knowing that no one will be able to try this, I will be sharing many more accessible pairings of food and whisky after this review.
This bottle came to existence with many thanks to the people at Springbank!!!
On the second day of our stay we had the climax of our journey: a blending session in the “laboratory” of the distillery.
We had 6 options to make our blend with:
Fresh Bourbon 9yr old
Refill Rum 10yr old
Refill Sherry 12yr old
Fresh Sherry 11yr old
Fresh Madeira 8yr old
Fresh Sauternes 7yr old
My blend consisted of 50% Fresh Bourbon, 20% Refill Sherry, 20% Fresh Sherry and 10% Sauternes, with an whopping ABV of 58.1%. To come to this “perfect” blend there was a lot of “tasting” involved, finally the holy %$^$ moment happened when I tasted smokey Cadbury crunchie bars (my favourite chocolate bar as a kid and to this day).
My tasting notes for this wonderful blended Springbank Single Malt which has an average age of almost 10 years:
Nose:
Immediate Cadbury chocolate bars, barrel char, sponge toffee, vanilla, camphor, “the springbank funk”, sea spray, a touch of prunes, grapes and blackberrries, flint, a touch of match smoke, dunnage goodness, smoked bacon, nutmeg, mashed sweet potatoes, a wee bit meaty, cherry wood smoked bacon. This dram had many nuances, memories and smells from our families Christmas dinner!!
Taste:
Those Candbury crunchie bars make a solid first appearance!! Then we are drinking Christmas dinner by a fireplace, all those aromas from the turkey to the candied sweet potatoes, with apple and sage stuffing and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. All by the harbour in Campbeltown after a wee rainstorm.
Finish:
Memories and nostalgia
How does one conclude a review of a whisky that only exists in a single bottle and can never truly be recreated?Perhaps that is exactly the point.This dram is much more than spirit in a glass. It is the culmination of years spent exploring whisky, countless conversations with friends, evenings shared around a table, and a dream fulfilled with Christina at Springbank Distillery. Every nose and sip brings back memories of Campbeltown, Christmas dinners with family, and that magical moment in the laboratory when all the pieces came together and I found my holy %$^$ whisky.
Would I change anything? Not a chance.This bottle is not about chasing perfection or assigning a score. It is about memories, experiences, and the people we share them with. Whisky, at its very best, has the power to transport us to places and moments that matter most.
While you will probably never have the opportunity to taste this particular dram, I hope you'll join me on this journey as I share many more whiskies, carefully crafted recipes, and stories that bring food, family, and friends together.