Springbank 11 years Local Barley

About the Springbank 11 years Local Barley

Springbank 11 years Local Barley is a Campbeltown single malt Scotch whisky from Springbank distillery in Scotland. It was distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2017, the second release in the modern Local Barley series. Springbank made it entirely from Bere barley, an old heritage strain grown at Aros Farm near the distillery. Springbank floor-malts all of its own barley, the only distillery in Scotland still doing this by hand. That commitment to local grain and old methods runs through every bottle of Local Barley. The distillery has stood in Campbeltown since 1828, run by the same Mitchell family for five generations. It is the only distillery in Scotland that completes every stage on site, from malting to bottling. A live flame heats the wash still, a traditional method most distilleries abandoned long ago. One of the two spirit stills still uses an old worm tub condenser for cooling. Together these choices give Springbank spirit its characteristic weight and oiliness. That character is already present before a single cask of Local Barley is filled. On the nose, expect a floral lift with orange marmalade and a bright streak of lemon zest. There is light eucalyptus too, plus green banana and wet gravel. Green tomato notes hint at the mineral, coastal ground the barley grew in. The palate turns creamy and rounder, with white grapes and custard leading. Then comes a firmer wave of peat and salt, with a little tobacco. Herbal, minty notes round off a long, malty finish. This is a gentler, brighter Springbank than some later, peatier Local Barley editions. Bere barley, not commercial grain, gives it that particular character. Springbank 11 years Local Barley rewards drinking it neat, in a simple glass, with time to breathe. Fewer than 9,000 bottles were ever released, from a single vatting of ex-bourbon casks filled in February 2006. For anyone curious about Campbeltown whisky, this is a rare chance to taste home-grown, floor-malted barley. Springbank remains a family-run distillery, still doing things the hard, slow way. This Local Barley bottling is proof that the old approach still pays off.