Springbank Scotch Single Malt Vintage 1998

Old-school Campbeltown depth runs right through this bottle. Springbank Vintage 1998 is the debut release in the new Vintage Series, distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2025 as a limited, sherry-matured single malt. Entirely aged in high-quality Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 48.3% ABV, it showcases some of the distillery’s oldest stock with that unmistakable coastal edge.

The nose comes across rich and quietly serious. Medjool dates, blackberries, white chocolate, and soft caramel lead, before darker notes of dried fig, leather, sea spray, and worn oak begin to push forward. Hints of spiced fruitcake, roasted chestnuts, coffee, and herbal tobacco drift in later, with a little old-library must and lacquered wood polish in the background.

On the palate, the sherry casks speak clearly. Dark chocolate, sherry-soaked raisins, and salted toffee roll in first, laced with brine, sea spray, and a subtle earthy peat thread that feels very Springbank. There is a savoury side as well, with roasted nuts, lemon zest, herbal bitters, and wet soil giving the mid-palate a meaty, almost red-wine warmth.

The finish keeps unfolding rather than simply fading. Leather, salted caramel, nutmeg, and crystallised ginger linger, joined by antique wood, soft smoke, and a faint mineral note that hangs on for minutes.

It feels like a contemplative Campbeltown dram: coastal, sherry-soaked, slightly austere, and very much built for slow, focused sipping.