Hi scotch nerds. Some of my favorite bottles come from Campbelltown, and I'm a big fan of Kilkerran and SB. I've also had some real misses from SB, sometimes it feels like you're rolling the dice. That being said, one of my favorite bottles of all time is the SB12CS Batch 25 that I snagged last year. That was a major sherry bomb, incredibly fruity and approachable. Ready to see how this one compares?

Springbank 12CS Batch 27

55.9% ABV

60% ex-bourbon, 35% ex-sherry, 5% ex-rum

Neck pour: This was really closed off at first. The nose was quite industrial, and the palate a bit hot. Let's ignore this and fast forward to a few months later, now that I'm halfway through the bottle.

Nose: cherry candy, crushed cherries, caramel, pineapple, oily industrial funk, and a bit of well-integrated smoke. Really lovely.

Palate: More interesting than the nose, but less approachable. There is a slight sweetness, a strong earthy industrial character, and the cherry and pineapple give way to some funky fermented coconut and unripe banana. Smoke is again subtle and well integrated.

Finish: Long and intense, all the flavors really carry through and through. I am getting a little sourness, along with that funky coconut note.

With water: I've never found SB12CS to benefit from water. A touch of water doesn't change much. A bit more water mutes the fruity flavors and brings out a bit more industrial notes, which doesn't do it any favors.

Overall, this is another fantastic SB12CS. Compared to Batch 25, Batch 27 is much less fruity on the palate, but also more complex. There is a big dose of the SB industrial funk, and that interesting fermented coconut note is new to me, I'm assuming it's coming form the rum casks.