Review #988 - Springbank 18 Year (2023)

The last bottling of Springbank 18 Year that we looked at was the 2022 release - we're a few years behind at this point. Here we have the 2023 release, which carries that same age of 18 years, as well as the same bottling strength of 46% ABV. As always with Springbank products, we know that this whisky is not chill filtered, and no coloring was added.

Springbank likes to mix up the cask makeup with their batch releases, and this 2023 version of the 18 Year uses 3 different casks: 65% sherry casks, 20% ex-bourbon casks, and 15% rum casks. The high proportion of sherry casks probably accounts for the dark natural color of this whisky.

Springbank 18 Year (2023)

Scotland/Campbeltown - Single Malt

Price: USD 315 (2026)

Age Statement: 18 Years

Strength: 46% ABV

Cask Makeup: Sherry, ex-bourbon, and rum casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Funky, musty, smells a bit like roots and old oak, quite earthy. Soft effervescent peat arrives, and we get sweetness from caramel or lightly burnt butterscotch, but also some spice from black pepper and anise. Savory notes build, especially mushrooms reduced in wine, and we get a candied black cherry note at the back.

Palate: Caramel, root beer, lots of earthy notes and decent sweetness. The complexion is dark, and the peat smoke starts soft, but perhaps grows to a medium influence. Vanilla, cola, sassafras, and charcoal... oily oak notes build, and we get a nice fizzy sensation. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.

Finish: Strong cola notes and stewed fruits, followed by more peat and a bit of wood smoke. Savory cooked mushrooms, licorice and pepper spice, prunes, sweet fig... the oak shows an older side as well, but it still seems somewhat subtle. There's great balance overall, and the finish is medium-long.

Final Note: A classic edition of Springbank 18. We love that dark, rich, complex profile which boasts a range of notes from fruit to spice to savory flavor, peat smoke, and more. Even at a young age, Springbank whiskies tend to carry great complexity, and this just takes that up another level entirely. It has some of those classic earthy, spicy notes that we often get from Springbank, but the cask mix here ensures that the focus is firmly on dark fruits, sugary flavors, oak.

Value is not quite as good due to the high cost of obtaining bottles like this; for a while, the price for this bottle sat around $250 if you were lucky enough to find it available in a store, which most of us weren't. Secondary prices hover another $50 to $100 over that; at that sort of cost, it's mediocre value, even for a special dram.

Our Rating: 8.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.05

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.