New Release: Springbank 17 Year Old Official Sherry Wood

Not bad sherry character. Springbank SPRINGBANK 17yo OB SHERRY WOOD 52.3% one of 9120 bottles The aroma has a decent recent sherry character, with ripe plums and strawberry jam, a solid grainy note, slightly grassy, a peatiness that gradually intensifies from the back, rich, smooth mouthfeel expanding into spicy notes, a slightly concentrated sweetness of plum jam rather than strawberry, a touch briny, ripe oranges, a good tannic dryness, slightly meaty and rich, with herbal and peaty undertones. [Good/Very Good] This is the first release of Springbank 17 Year Old's 'Sherry Wood,' bottled at cask strength. While it has a sherry character typical of recent years, there's no raw or forced nuance; instead, it feels pleasant and enveloping overall. Within the jammy notes, there was a strawberry jam-like quality, and the grainy character from 17 years of aging was well-executed. The peatiness characteristic of recent Springbank also emerged from the depths. Upon tasting, the strawberry-like notes weren't as prominent upfront, but the jammy character and its associated sweetness were clear, with a dryness that deepens the flavor and a briny quality. The savory grainy notes were also enjoyable. Additionally, there was a slight meatiness that didn't reach sulfuric levels, which added thickness in an unrefined way. However, I didn't feel the body was as heavy as the alcohol content suggests. In this range of Springbank and Longrow sherry casks, there are occasionally bottles with a clear sulfurous dashi soy sauce-like character, so I approached this one cautiously, but nothing was particularly off-putting. When it comes to Springbank's sherry, even knowing it's a stretch, I often unconsciously expect the full-on berry jam character of old. Occasionally, recent releases have hints of that nuance, raising the bar. So, to say if I was satisfied, it felt slightly lacking. However, the sherry character wasn't bad, and it's not one of those recent Springbank releases with overly strong peat. It feels like a new release with the distillery's spirit and effort.