The main focus of our Whisky and Wonders in Scotland tour with Scholarly Sojourns was, obviously, whisky. In just 10 days we visited 11 distilleries, either for warehouse tastings or tours. Campbeltown was toward the end of our itinerary, so you can imagine my shock when I actually learned some new facts while touring Springbank Distillery!
I’ve toured dozens of distilleries and know quite a bit about whisky. Still, I learned a few surprising facts about Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown on the tour. We took the standard Springbank tour, but there are plenty of tours at the distillery.
6 Surprising Facts About Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown
1. Both Springbank and Glengyle Distilleries have the same distillers.
Founded in 1828, Springbank Distillery is one of three distilleries in Campbeltown, Scotland’s smallest whisky region. Once home to 35 distilleries, most closed in 1920 when distilling collapsed throughout Scotland. Only Springbank and Glen Scotia remained open.
But in the 2000s the Scotch Whisky Association decided that just two distilleries was not enough to justify an official scotch region. They contemplated combining the Campbeltown region with the Highlands, which prompted J&A Mitchell & Co. (Springbank’s owners) to re-open Glengyle Distillery next door. (Distiller has more on the Campbeltown region here.)
Glengyle Distillery opened in 1872 but had been mothballed since 1925. And during that time the Glengyle trademark transferred to Bloch Bros., so Glengyle’s whisky is bottled as Kilkerran (the original name for Campbeltown).
Today the distilling team at Springbank Distillery also runs Glengyle. They spend 8 months of the year distilling at Springbank and 4 months at Glengyle. But eventually Glengyle will have its own full-time staff.
2. Springbank Distillery makes three different whiskies.
Springbank Distillery makes three different styles of whisky, all bottled under different names. The differences are in the peat level and distillation times. I knew that before touring Springbank Distillery, but didn’t know the exact differences.
Springbank is medium-peated and partially triple distilled. Longrow is heavily peated and double distilled. And Hazelburn is not peated but triple distilled. (Got that?!) The distillery spends 80 percent of its time making Springbank, 10 percent making Longrow, and 10 percent making Hazelburn. (ScotchWhisky.com has more details on the differences between the spirits here.)
3. Dried Peat vs. Wet Peat Makes a Difference.
As a self-proclaimed Peat Head (read: lover of smoky whisky), I consider myself quite knowledgeable about peat. Especially after adding peat to the actual fire at Laphroaig Distillery earlier on our trip.
So I was shocked to learn while touring Springbank Distillery that peat is used in two different forms. Dried peat, which is what I threw on the fire at Laphroaig, is most commonly used. The petrified organic matter dries outside on the peat bogs for days. Dried peat burns at a high temperature but doesn’t produce a lot of smoke.
Fresh peat, on the other hand, has more moisture, so it produces a lot of smoke when it’s burned. At Springbank Distillery, they use both dried and fresh peat, depending on the end-goal for the whisky.
Going back to the three types of whisky made at Springbank: Springbank is made with dried peat, Longrow uses a mixture of dry and fresh, and Hazelburn uses neither. (Hazelburn barley is only dried using hot air.)
4. Springbank’s “State of the Art” technology is… not what you think.
Not only is Springbank Distillery one of seven distilleries in Scotland that has floor maltings, it’s the only distillery to malt, distill, mature, and bottle on the same site. During the tour, we got to see the whole process, including the floor maltings.
Our guide explained that the floor must be kept between 16-20 degrees Celsius. That’s done by a complex system… of opening and closing the windows in the room, and maintaining a certain depth of barley. Not exactly modern technology! (The barley that touches the cement is warmer than the top, so the middle is the sweet spot.)
In order to make three different types of whisky with different levels of peat, our guide told us Springbank uses a “state of the art” computer to keep track of which barley is which. He then directed us around the corner to show us the “computer,” which was a chalkboard on the wall with check marks! Not exactly a modern system, but one that’s worked for generations!
Another showcase of Springbank’s “modern” technology is their cast iron mash tun. It’s currently 120 years old! When I asked why they used cast iron, our guide shrugged that it’s cheaper than stainless steel. (In reality, cast iron keeps the temperature high for the mashes, and is — obviously — very durable!)
5. The Whisky Mold insulates the warehouse, preventing some Angel’s Share.
There’s a fascinating phenomenon that happens at whisky distilleries around the world: a black mold forms on the buildings. Sometimes called whisky fungus or whisky mold, it’s formed when the airborne ethanol from the distillery combines with moisture. It grows on all types of structures and is commonly seen on the outside of distilleries (like at Willett Distillery in Kentucky). (Flaviar explains the whisky fungus more here.)
While I knew about whisky mold before touring Springbank Distillery, I was surprised to learn that (at least at Springbank) it insulates the warehouse. It helps prevent some of the Angel’s Share, the cheeky name for the alcohol that evaporates from the casks while whisky ages. Springbank calls it the Dunnage Effect or Dunnage funk.
6. Springbank & Cadenhead’s have the same owners, so you can tour both at the same time!
After being mothballed from 1979 to 1987, Springbank Distillery was reopened by J&A Mitchell & Company. (As mentioned above, they also own Glengyle Distillery next door.) But prior to all that, the company bought Cadenhead’s, an independent bottler established in 1872.
Cadenhead’s is the oldest independent bottler in Scotland, long known for bottling excellent single malt whiskies and rums — a reputation that remains to this day! They also create their own blends and finish single malts purchased from distilleries around Scotland. So it’s common to find Cadenhead’s bottlings of well-known distilleries finished in unique casks the distillery wouldn’t normally use.
Because Cadenhead’s and Springbank share owners, the Cadenhead’s Warehouse is at Springbank Distillery. So after touring Springbank Distillery, we did a warehouse tasting of Cadenhead’s whiskies! (We also had a delicious Fisherman’s Lunch in Springbank’s visitor’s center.)
We sampled six whiskies straight from the cask, right in the warehouse. They ranged from unique Speyside whiskies, like a Milton Duff finished in Coroni rum casks, to a Highland Park aged in sherry, and a beautiful 14 year old Ledaig.
And even better, Cadenhead’s bottles are surprisingly affordable. So after our tour and tasting, we walked down the street to Cadenhead’s Bottle Shop so we could take home some delicious souvenirs.
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It’s easy to assume that once you’ve seen one distillery, you’ve seen them all. But after learning so many things while touring Springbank Distillery, I remembered that that’s not always the case! Especially in Scotland, every distillery has its own story to tell, its own characteristics, and unique flavor profile. That’s what makes scotch so exciting!
Related :: 10 Days of Whisky in Scotland, What to Know Before Going to Islay, and More Distilleries in Scotland
