Springbank Distillery — Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky

Springbank Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery located in Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula, Scotland. It was founded in 1828 and is currently owned by the family firm J&A Mitchell & Company. Springbank is widely regarded as the only Scottish distillery that carries out every stage of whisky production on one site — malting, distilling, maturing and bottling — without outsourcing any part of the process.

History

Springbank was established in 1828 by the Reid family in Campbeltown, then the epicentre of Scotch whisky production with more than 30 working distilleries. In 1837 the business passed to John and William Mitchell, and in 1872 John Mitchell bought out the partnership outright for £5,055, keeping the distillery in Mitchell hands ever since (William Mitchell went on to found the neighbouring Glengyle distillery). The site suffered storm damage on more than one occasion, including the collapse of its chimneys in a December 1883 gale and roof damage to the tun room in 1904. Like most of Campbeltown's distilleries, Springbank was hit hard by American Prohibition and the collapse of the region's whisky trade, closing in 1926 and not resuming production until 1936. A further closure followed the difficult economic conditions of the late 1970s, with the distillery silent from 1979 until it reopened in 1989. Springbank has remained in continuous family ownership under J&A Mitchell & Company, which also owns the nearby Glengyle distillery (Kilkerran) and the independent bottler William Cadenhead's, making it one of the last truly independent, family-run distilling operations in Scotland.

Quick Facts

• Region: Campbeltown, Scotland
• Founded: 1828
• Owner: J&A Mitchell & Company Ltd
• Status: Active
• Stills: 1 wash still and 2 spirit stills (traditional direct/indirect-fired, partial worm-tub condensing)

Core Range

Springbank's core range is built around three distinct house styles, all distilled from its own floor-malted barley. The flagship Springbank line is medium-peated and distilled two-and-a-half times, released as 10 Year Old (46% ABV), an annual cask-strength 12 Year Old, and 15, 18 and 21 Year Old expressions. Longrow is a heavily peated, twice-distilled malt, available as a no-age-statement bottling and an 18 Year Old. Hazelburn is fully unpeated and triple-distilled, led by a 10 Year Old expression. All three ranges are produced entirely at the Springbank site in Campbeltown.