Whenever a new “Limited Edition” whisky expression is released to the market you can hear the rising “oh no” cries from the casual drinkers and distillery fans mixed with their excitement and the glee of whisky investors and flippers. Too often, those limited editions are either too expensive for their age and/or quality and their circulation is too small to sate the market demand and so they are hard to find or get sold out very quickly.

But there are exceptions. Some expressions and some distilleries do manage to find a proper balance of price and bottles count, making sure even late comers can fetch a bottle and Springbank 12 Year Old Burgundy wood is a good example. Initially released in May/June 2016 for £65 (€95-€99), it’s still available out there in Europe and across the USA albeit with some price markup in some countries. The secret? A larger than usual edition of 10260 bottles of 12 year old springbank whisky that was matured in fresh Burgundy wine casks.

Springbank 12 Year Old Burgundy (53.5%, €109.95/$119.99)

Nose: What a rich nose! A very heavy wine influence, sour red fruits, peat, motor oils and the Campbeltown funk just behind it, rich on the front but hints at dryness, nuts, tannins and fruits glazed with brown sugar. Great combo of funk and sweet fruity wine.

Palate: fruity with zest, spice, tannins and nuts, dry, earthy peat , oily, red and yellow fruits and berries, oak spices, more peat and funk. dirty sweet wine.

Finish: medium length, tannins and lingering dry sweetness and gentle peat. But long lingering sweet dirty peat.

Thoughts: Fabulous work of Springbank Funkiness tamed by those excellent Burgundy wine casks. It’s harmonious and tasty and it’s just another prime example of superb work from Springbank. A good whisky for a good price – what else can you ask for except for a slight different stock markets allocations? A recommended whisky buy!