This is the sad story of how I once went to lunch without my phone and when I got back to the office I found out this Springbank 20 Year Old which I coveted for over a week since I heard on it was suddenly released and got sold – all during lunch. Allow me to add that since then I don’t go out to eat without the phone. 😀
And the whisky itself? A sherried Springbank in a fantastic price. The whisky was distilled 14.03.1997, filled into Sherry Hogshead #108 and bottled 5.09.2017 after 20 years. The cask yielded 268 bottles that were sold out in a matter of 10 minute.
Springbank 1997 20 Year Old (Whiskybroker) (48.9%, £135)
Source: whiskybase.com
Nose: Silky, dried fruit, Kirsch and cherries, soft earth dirtyness, peat smoke, oily, vines greenery, brown sugar, citrus peels. After a while getting a bit floral with dark chocolate. Such a smooth texture!
Palate: Sour sweet dried fruit, gentle cinnamon,, greenery, dirty zesty peat, cherries, dark chocolate, tobacco leaves, nuts and dryness at throat.
Finish: Medium length, chocolate, sour sweet dried fruit, gentle peat smoke, subtle oak spices, ground coffee and oak spices.
Thoughts: My goodness, this is a great and complex Springbank, definitely one of the best Springers I tasted in the last dew years. So sad I missed out that ‘flash sale’…
Whisky Gospel 
I enjoyed reading your tasting notes but until now I hadn’t any regrets that like you I had missed out on the opportunity to buy this bottle. Actually I’m sure Martin (Whiskybroker) would have given me one if I had asked. Sadly I didn’t ask …. so now thanks to your posting I too am feeling sad. There’s nothing like spreading a little sadness around. Thank you. Raymond Armstrong