New Release: Springbank 1995 18 Year Old Official Bar Caruso 10th Anniversary, Speyside Way & Shinanoya

Among recent releases, this one particularly embodied the classic Springbank character. Springbank SPRINGBANK 1995-2014 18yo OB for Bar Caruso 10th Anniversary, Speyside Way & Shinanoya 56% One of 198 bottles, efill Sherry Cask The aroma is floral and vibrant, with under-ripe strawberries, faint strawberry jam, plums, white grape notes, lemon, vanilla, soft and savory barley character, subtle peat from the depths. On the palate, it starts with a strong attack of spicy pepper, freeze-dried strawberries with their sweetness and acidity, a slightly powdery concentration giving it a chewy texture. The good barley umami is clear, with solid brininess and gentle peat that emerges over time. The strawberry jam character becomes more pronounced towards the finish, leaving a clean and satisfying aftertaste. 【Very Good】 This Springbank 1995, aged for 18 years, was bottled together with Speyside Way and Shinanoya as a commemoration of Bar Caruso's 10th anniversary in Shinjuku. True to Springbank's reputation as a malt perfume, the aroma is vibrant with fruity strawberry notes (more plant-like than jammy), white grape fruits clearly present, alongside soft and savory barley character with a touch of gentle peat. On the palate, there's a concentrated fruity texture with a powdery, condensed feel. The balance of sweetness and acidity with good barley umami is clear, and most notably, the characteristic saltiness of Springbank is strongly present without needing to search for it. The peat also emerges from the depths, similar to its aroma. Over time, the strawberry character evolves from freeze-dried to jam-like, which is very interesting and leaves a favorable impression. Despite its complexity surpassing the aging years, there are no off-putting elements, making it smooth and easy to drink, leading one to want more. Undoubtedly, this is a classic Springbank that feels even better with time after opening and further aging in the bottle. While it's definitely a refill and not dominated by sherry cask, the overall sherry influence was very well integrated. The previous bourbon cask bottling for whiskey live events was also excellent, but this bottle truly reinforced the feeling that Springbank's classic expression is best in sherry cask. This bottle was kindly provided by Bar Caruso in Shinjuku. Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! This was my first visit to Bar Caruso, and I found it a very enjoyable bar with an engaging master. During my visit, I was also given the opportunity to compare two types of Benriach 1966: one from a 1979 fill (13 years old) and another from a 1987 fill (21 years old). The 13-year-old had a gentle emergence of citrus, grassy notes, and flavors of loquat and peach from the depth of its barley character. The 21-year-old had a more mature expression with loquat, peach, and tropical fruit nuances, supported by barley notes from the background. The seductive quality was particularly impressive. Rather than being purely Benriach-like, the fruitiness felt distinctly Speyside, differing from recent releases like the 1976 Hog's Nose which fully expresses peach and tropical fruit characteristics. Instead, this bottle presented a very natural floral fruitiness alongside other elements. Both bottles were in excellent condition, with the 13-year-old being particularly remarkable considering it had been bottled around 35 years ago with short maturation and minimal water addition. Now, given the high prices and prevalence of fakes or degraded bottles in this series, Black Cadenhead bottlings are rarely accessible. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to taste these. #Springbank (SPRINGBANK) #Benriach (BENRIACH)