Jumping bench
| Jumping bench | |
|---|---|
 View of the Springbank Distillery |
|
| country | Scotland |
| region | Campbeltown |
| Geographical location | 55 ° 25 '33.4 " N , 5 ° 36' 27.6" W |
| Type | Paint |
| status | active |
| owner | J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. |
| Founded | 1828 |
| founder | Reid Family |
| Water source | Crosshills Hole |
| Washstill (s) | 1 × 20,000 l |
| Intermediate still (s) | 2 × 12,274 l |
| Production volume | 100,000 l |
| Website | www.springbankdistillers.com |
The Springbank Distillery is a whiskey distillery on the peninsula Kintyre , Scotland . Along with Glen Scotia and Glengyle, it is one of the three distilleries in the Campbeltown whiskey region , which used to have around 30 distilleries. Springbank has been owned by the Mitchell family since 1837 and has maintained its independence to this day. At the same time, it is one of the few distilleries that produce more than one single malt - besides Springbank, Longrow and, since late 1997, Hazelburn are also distilled here. Also owned by the Mitchell dynasty is Wm. Cadenhead , one of the oldest and largest independent whiskey bottlers in Scotland. The distillery buildings are classified in category B in the Scottish monument lists.
history
The distillery was founded in 1828 by the Reid family, making it the fourteenth recorded in Campbeltown. In 1837 the license to distill whiskey was acquired. When prohibition began in the United States in 1920 , the distilleries (not only) in Scotland suffered a lot from the slump in sales. Most of the more than 20 distilleries that existed on Kintyre at the time had to cease operations in the following years, and Springbank was also unable to produce from 1926 to 1935. Since August 2006, Springbank has been run by Stuart Robertson.
Products
What is unusual about the distillation of the Springbank is that the after-runnings from the first distillation were collected and distilled three times, but the rest only twice. Therefore, one usually speaks of two and a half times distillation. The malt used comes (as with Longrow and Hazelburn) exclusively from their own malt house and is lightly peated for this whiskey and contains approx. 7-8 ppm phenol . In addition, cold filtration and the use of colorants are dispensed with. The standard bottlings are Springbank 10- and 15-year-olds, each with 46% vol. The vast majority of the whiskey is stored in refilled bourbon barrels, but a small part is also stored in sherry or rum barrels.
In addition to the Springbank whiskey, the distillery also sells the Hazelburn and Longrow brands . These are named after the former Hazelburn (closed 1925) and Longrow distilleries (closed 1896). After the takeover , a Hazelburn was distilled again for the first time in 1997 - but on the premises of Springbank. Usually a 10 year old whiskey is offered, as well as the occasional vintage. The whiskey is made from unpeated malt and is triple distilled. The standard filling comes from refilled Bourbon barrels.
The whiskey sold as Longrow is heavily peated (55 ppm phenol) and is double distilled. It was first distilled by Springbank in 1973/1974 and released in 1985. Longrow is made no more than once a year, which should help make it relatively difficult to obtain. Standard bottlings of the Longrow are either no age or 10 years old and come mainly from refilled Bourbon barrels. There is also a changing number of other bottlings in small quantities, often with special barrel maturations.
The high level of manual work at Springbank is unusual for distillation. While other whiskey producers have largely automated production, Springbank is often referred to as a 'running museum'. There is not a single computer in production, and the filling process also involves many manual steps. Springbank employs far more people in production than z. B. the much larger distillery Glenfiddich. The tours through the distillery are highly recommended and, in contrast to the larger distilleries, are very personal and photography is permitted at all production steps (e.g. stills, warehouses).
Production interruption
On August 27, 2008, the owner, J & A Mitchell and Company Ltd. announced that no new Springbank and Glengyle whiskey will be produced temporarily. The reason given was very high raw material prices. As announced on November 24, 2008, production was resumed in both distilleries at the beginning of 2009.
Springbank 15 years
Longrow 10 years
Hazelburn 8 years
Springbank produces its whiskey almost exclusively for its single malt bottlings, which is probably due to the fact that the distillery is still family-owned and can control all processing steps itself. A small part, however, is used for the Blends Campbeltown Loch (5 years, 15 years and 30 years) and Mitchell's 12 year old .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ^ Springbank distillation process. Retrieved February 9, 2013 .
- ^ Message from J & A Mitchell and Company Ltd.
- ^ Message from J & A Mitchell and Company Ltd.