Two J&A Mitchell 2025 Releases | Various ABV

Catching Unicorns

Springbank releases come and go at a number of points throughout the year.

Whether it’s the latest release of their Longrow Red series - or 100 Proof as its replacement is now called - Local Barley, Sherry series or one of the eighteen year plus age statements. Whatever they are, there’s a chase on.

Not since 2020 have I been able to lay my hands on anything more than a bottle of the standard 10 year old. Due to the size of the distillery and the quality of the product, low supply and huge demand make it almost impossible for buyers, like me, who have to rely on online retailers.

Many of the smaller retailers are keeping their stocks for in-store purchases - which is a practice I agree with - but it doesn’t help me living in a part of the UK without a local stockist. I’m not interested in constantly refreshing retailer ‘New in stock’ sections, especially when I have absolutely no idea when they will be appearing.

This lack of availability, coupled with auction flipping and an abundance of sealed bottle pictures which appear online from people who managed to grab the latest release - and are probably never going to open it - can cause some people to actively dislike Springbank.

I take a more circumspect approach. Yes it is frustrating, but owners J&A Mitchell play a very fair game. They could premiumise like Macallan and Dalmore, or more recently Glendronach, Glengoyne and Tamdhu. If they were owned by a large multinational, with shareholders after their slice of the pie, that’s exactly what would have happened.

The whisky would still sell and they would make an even larger profit, but thankfully that’s not the approach they choose to take. They approach things with a long-term view that keeping the customers happy during the boom times means they are more likely to stay when things get tougher for the industry. As long as they can keep staff employed - which they do in far higher numbers than many much larger distilleries - they are happy for the whisky to be sold at what they see as reasonable. You simply cannot fault them.

In recent years I have been happy enough with my bottle of the 10 year old every now and then. It’s one of my favourite core range whiskies and if I could buy it more regularly it would be a permashelf bottle. Thankfully, today there’s also Glengyle distillery bringing us Kilkerran single malt, which is much more available here in the UK. It uses the same floor-malted barley from Springbank for all but the heavily peated range and I absolutely love it. However, knowing I was out of Springbank 10 at the moment, I wanted another bottle this time around if possible.

Having dropped my daughter off at school I was firing up the laptop to start the working day. While waiting, I checked my phone for the latest sports news and also decided to look at a few whisky retailer websites. As a rather sad whisky botherer this is something of a pastime; browsing through new releases and perhaps finding a few deals.

I went onto Master of Malt’s new release section and - to my surprise - the new Springbank releases were sitting there, and showing as in stock! Knowing I didn’t have too much time to think about it and realising it could be another five years before I get another, I quickly put the Springbank 12 Cask Strength and Hazelburn 8 Oloroso Sherry straight into the basket and checked out as fast as clicks and fingers would allow.

I’ve been here before and, at some point, in the checkout process I’d often get a message to say the stock has sadly sold out. But not this time. Success! I then went back and picked up a bottle of the ten year old whilst I could.

The dawning realisation that I had just spent north of £200 in a matter of minutes was secondary to the happiness of finally getting my hands on the bottles. The bottles arrived the next day and the Springbank cask strength and the Hazelburn were opened that very evening. The 10 year old can wait for a few weeks.

Review 1/2

Hazelburn 8yo, Oloroso Cask, 2025 release, 48.2% ABV
£78 paid, long sold out

Unlike the core range ten year old matured in 100% ex-bourbon, which sadly hasn’t been seen since 2023, this is 100% matured in oloroso sherry casks. It is bottled at 48.2% and is non-chill filtered and natural colour. 10,500 bottles were released worldwide.

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Sweet, fruity and creamy deliciousness, but where’s that smoke coming from?*

Nose

Brown sugar, toffee apple, strawberry laces, cherry drops, wood varnish, leather, leaf mulch and tobacco. I know Hazelburn is unpeated, but I would have said this was lightly peated if I didn’t know otherwise. There’s something slightly smoky about it – smoked bacon.

Palate

Sweet with brown sugar, rum and raisin ice cream, chocolate and coconut bounty bars and prune juice, with tobacco, espresso coffee, light oak, peppery spice and creamy vanilla.

Smoky bacon and barbecue notes come next, which again suggest peat smoke, but unless there are remnants of a previous spirit run I would suggest it’s from the casks in this case.

That continues into the finish which brings some liquorice, copper coins and more of the coconut and chocolate.

The Dregs

On first pour I thought this was just ok. Nice clean sherry notes which could be from any distillery.

I assumed the unpeated and triple distilled Hazelburn spirit had been drowned out and was ruing my decision to buy it. £78 for an eight year old whisky at 48.2% isn’t what I would call a value proposition, even though I concede Hazelburn is not produced in great quantities.

That was a neck pour a couple of hours after it being delivered and coming back to it subsequently it has totally transformed. That clean sherry has now revealed the filthy side beneath, I would swear this was peated if I didn’t know better. The leafy tobacco and meaty notes I hadn’t picked up on the first night are vivid and have continued with each pour. A month after being open and it’s really hit its stride. A seven verging on an eight.

Score: 7/10

Review 2/2

Springbank 12yo, Cask Strength, 2025 release, 60% ex-bourbon, 35% ex-sherry, 5% ex-rum, 55.9% ABV
£75 paid, also long sold out

This year's batch is a combination of 60% ex-bourbon, 35% sherry and 5% rum casks. It is bottled at 55.9% and of course is non-chill filtered and natural colour. I have read that this is going to be a twice a year release in future, which would be great if so.

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Fruity, funky and filthy in perfect harmony*

Nose

At first there’s a distinct earthiness like damp autumnal leaves in woodland, but the more time it spends in the glass the more the tropical fruit notes come to the fore – mango, guava and orange with Christmas cake dried fruit and spice. I also get salted caramel, marshmallow, tobacco leaf and charcoal.

Palate

The palate exhibits even more fruit and it’s quite sweet initially. Super juicy orange is the predominant fruit with mango taking more of a back seat along with barley sugar and candied ginger warmth. Then comes smoked bacon, tobacco, charcoal, espresso and liquorice, which begin to assert after a short time and add a savoury and slightly bitter balance to the sweetness, which works really well. Into the finish there’s cool peppermint and liquorice with light bonfire smoke.

The Dregs

The balance is absolutely spot on here. It’s sweet initially, but it’s quickly balanced by savoury, bitter and smoky notes. Despite being only 35% sherry it is a strong influence to the overall blend of casks, with the rum perhaps adding some of the sweetness I’m enjoying on the palate. There’s plenty of complexity and I feel I could list note after note given long enough to bore you further. Just as the Hazelburn was a seven verging on an eight, this is an eight that I was very tempted to give an exceptional nine out of ten.

Score: 8/10

The Final Dregs

Yes there is plenty of great whisky out there and Springbank isn’t the be all and end all, but I love it and I won’t apologise for that. The whisky is made the right way, sold at a fair price and is absolutely delicious. To shun them for factors beyond their control is pointless. If I can get my hands on a bottle and I can afford it then it’s a no brainer. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Both of these are excellent whiskies, but the Springbank edges it with its balance and complexity. I have opened the ten year old whilst writing this and, although I am not reviewing it this time, it is as superb as always. An easy eight. If Springbank’s whiskies were permanently available I would struggle to buy much else. Whenever I’ve been in the mood for a dram recently and scanning the shelves; they’re the ones I want to reach for and I am having to stop myself from dipping in too often.

I was full of excitement when I saw they were introducing a 100 Proof 5 year old Springbank from ex-bourbon casks. Having only ever had either sherry or mixed maturation Springers it was one I hoped to be able to get hold of and sample that raw spirit. Sadly, it sold out far too quickly for me to get a sniff, but hopefully the next batch is a bit more accessible.

Since buying these bottles at the end of June I’ve changed my buying habits quite significantly. Only the very reasonably priced Glen Scotia 12 has been purchased in the couple of months since. After years of buying multiple bottles each month it’s quite a shift for me, but I feel my reasons may resonate with a number of readers, but more about that in my next Dramface review.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. RT

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