Campbeltown Whiskies: The Lost Region

Welcome back ye lads and lasses. Today I take a crack at the "lost" region, the Campbeltown with one of its standards bottlings, the Springbank 10.

Now we all remember the 4 main regions: Highland, Lowland, Speyside, and Islay. You can add "islands" as a general of any islands off the coast such as Skye (Talisker).

There we have a good map. Each region has a distinct flavor profile shaped by the geography and culture.

Yet...there is another I briefly mentioned. As a matter of fact, it used to be the "Whisky Capital." In 1759, there was said to be 32 different distilleries in the region (some other sources have the number at a little less). 

This map has the Campbeltown region on it, while the previous one did not. Why? Well the distilleries died out. That's...pretty much it. With the years, come economic changes and the area was over-saturated. There are currently 3 distilleries active: Springbank, Glengyle, and Glen Scotia. Like the Lowlands, there are a few. Campbeltown is making a resurgence under the guidance of Hedley Wright. He is an alcohol baron and owns both the Springbank and Glengyle distilleries (and luckily for us, he likes them (or maybe he likes money. Either way, good for us)).  

The geography of the small town of Campbeltown is at the end of the Kintyre Peninsula. It is nearly surrounded by the sea meaning there is a harbor. Ships and sea-borne traffic bustle past the quiet distillery. The seaside locale is often shrouded in mist from the sea (this will come back later). Even on the map. you can see that Campbeltown is near Islay. There share many similar flavors, but are certainly not the same.

Campbeltown, in my mind, is a lovely go-between an Islay and a mainland whisky. There is a strong saltiness and peatiness, but not the *sometimes* overwhelming flavors of an Islay. Campbeltown whiskies are markedly lighter in viscosity and flavors than an Islay, but do not have the fruitiness or spiciness of a Highland or Speyside. It is almost as if a Lowland delicacy was injected with an Islay kick. 

Now...ON TO THE MAIN EVENT

What an awesome picture, eh? This is from the Kintyre Piping Society Invitational Solo Piping Competition (what a mouthful) sponsored by the Springbank Distillery. What a perfect image of Scotland. Springbank is one of the few distilleries that do not Chill Filter their whiskies. What that means is they do not chill their whiskies before bottling. Most distilleries chill before bottling because when you shill a whisky for the first time, the liquid becomes hazy: a natural process where the fatty acid, proteins, and esters are not filtered out leading to a haziness when cooled. There is no effect on taste between chill filtered and non-chill filtered...or is there?! Depends who you ask. Distilleries that chill filter say it is purely for cosmetic reasons. Those distilleries who do not chill filter say their whisky is more pure.

Whatever.

Again, the only way to every really know is to get the same whisky, one filtered one not, and taste them. But that will never happen. They also "two-and-a-half" times distill it, giving the whisky a delicacy found in Lowlands.

Moving on.

Springbank also has no color added. They have a thing for the purity of their whisky. Many whisky producers add color for cosmetic reasons. Again, no effect on the flavor (so they say...). The Springbank 10 comes at 46% abv, more than the standard 40%. Purer? Maybe. Sounds like a lot of hullabaloo, but when you're trying to champion a comeback of your specific region, I suppose you should try and create a distinct character and profile for yourself.

Now the review of the Springbank 10.

Color: Gold.
Nose: Light saltiness, gentle peat, spiciness, undertones of warm pears (not cold ones, cooked pears)
Taste: Viscous, oily texture. Cooked pears, dry, smoke on top
Finish: An afterthought of burned fruit

Like the Islay malts, Springbank malts are younger aged, but certainly not lacking in complexity. You can certainly tell it is younger, but only in the weight of the malt. The youngster here is quite well-spoken. The juxtaposition of sweet and dry is not marred by any overpowering flavors from either side. Rather, they coexist without mixing...until the finish where the smoke and gentle fruitiness come together.

What a treat.