Campbeltown used to be one of the busiest cities in Scotland for whisky production, with over thirty distilleries. In fact, a few Lord Provosts of yesteryear proclaimed it “the whisky capital of the world.”

If quality were the deciding factor, then Campbeltown might still deserve that illustrious moniker, even with only a handful of distilleries operating in 2016. Why is that you ask? Because Springbank distillery is still located there, producing extraordinary whisky at surprisingly affordable prices.

Yes, when it comes to quality single malt scotch, Springbank is hard to beat. Of all the releases that come out of its stills, the limited ones are getting more and more fanfare these days, and for good reason. They stand head and shoulders above most other whiskies in the world.

This review will cover the latest of these cask strength bad boys: namely, Springbank’s 12-Year-Old Burgundy. As its title proclaims, the offering was matured for twelve years in casks that once aged burgundy wine.

Burgundy is a region in France that tends to grow dry red wines, such as gamay and pinot noir, as well as some whites. I’ve found Springbank whisky tends to work quite well with these types of casks. However, I was not all that impressed with the Longrow 14-Year-Old Burgundy, which was released a couple of years ago.

Several other 14-year-old Longrows have been absolutely stellar, such as the madeira wood: one of my all-time faves. In fact, fourteen years of age seems to be a magical number for Longrows, whereas Springbanks finish the job of aging themselves quite admirably in twelve.