It has been a long time coming, but I finally have a bottle of Springbank 12 Cask Strength to call my own. The 2026 release, bottled at a hefty 56.6% ABV on the 21st of January, is a genuine milestone for me. I managed to snag it from Luvians, half-convinced it wasn’t real until the purchase went through.
To make it even better, this expression is 100% ex-bourbon, and for anyone wanting to truly get to know a spirit, I feel ex-bourbon is the way to go. It isn’t neutral, but it hands you a wider perception of flavour without a wine or sherry cask crowding the picture.
Before I sat down to score it properly, I put this on blind tasting at one of my Manchester events. It was the fifth of six drams, and it walked away the clear favourite. Nine out of 20 people voted for it, nearly half the room, and you just know why.
What Will Whisky Look Like in 2027? Voices from Whisky Live Paris
READ THE STORYOn the nose, the lead note is something I can only describe as smoked orange biscuits. Imagine buttery shortbread studded with orange peel, carried by that gentle Springbank peatiness. There is mint, pickled peppercorn, a lovely thread of Jamaican ginger cake, and classic caramel, toffee and runny honey. The famous funky house profile is surprisingly restrained here, and at times it almost reads like a Glen Scotia with its mineral edge.
The taste is where this whisky truly announces itself. It becomes far more powerful and potent on the palate, opening with orange and powdered sugar before the ABV plows straight through your taste buds. It is dominant, farmy and blessed with that oily, clingy, sticky texture I love. The sweetness dials right back, the peat lingers only as an afterthought of smoke, and then comes an unexpected but wonderful ripe peach note that rolls around the back of the palate.
Most remarkably, at nearly 57% and only 12 years old, there is no bitterness at all. No dark chocolate, no barrel char, no citrus pith. Just an abundant, almost cleansing spiciness backed by quality bourbon casks.
Trending Content
At around £80 including postage, and given the shared joy of letting so many people taste it, I think it is worth every penny. This isn’t the most complex whisky I have ever tried. It is more a show of force with genuinely interesting flavours. For me, it lands at a solid 8.5 out of 10, and the fact it lingered on a website long enough for me to buy it is a hopeful sign that the flipper market is finally losing its grip.
So tell me, would you rather I review the Springbank 15 next, or line up a triple showdown of three different 15 year olds?
To see my full tasting, check out my YouTube video.
