this is a Springbank Society bottling, Distilled in June 1996, matured for 12 years in a Fino sherry but and then bottled at cask strength in April 2009 making it a 12 year old. Happily I got a sample from Sjoerd while visiting NL last September!
Longrow 1996 , 12 yo Fino Sherry Butt , 57.6%
Nose:rather meaty with a lot of wine notes. Some smoke in the background. And dried fruit: think sultana and dates. Cinnamon powder and balsamic vinegar.
Palate: yes. Pretty big palate over here. Grapefruit. Meaty. Salty and caramelized at the same time. Wood smoke and lots of sugar and quite tanning. Interesting profile. Definitely a longbow but a big sherry boost. And a hint of rubber and sulfur.
Finish: Earth. Dried fruit. Rubber. Bitter chocolate and date jam.
Very nice stuff indeed. A bit turned off by the rubber, but other than that, lovely. Could have been close to 90 without.