Springbank Distillery — Local services in Great Britain

Sorry to say this but it’s been a experience at its worst at Springbank. I really like the whisky they produce and the guided tour was absolutely nice!

But: during the malt festival things seem to get mad somehow… In the shop they’ve got their “caged samples” where you can buy a bottle straight from the cask, with a system where the shelf only gets restocked once everything is gone. Strange system in my opinion but ok; but what’s really a no go: if you go there as a customer and get in line for two or three times (and don’t buy anything) just to get in line again in order to get a chance to buy one bottle that you would like: getting accused by the staff that you’ve already bought one and won’t get another! Are you kidding me? You come up with some idiotic system, and claim to sell only one bottle per person per week, and then dare to accuse people of abusing this system just because you lost track? I tried to explain that I’ve been in line several times but never purchased anything, and the reaction of the staff was unbelievable! Despite the fact that they keep record of all that’s sold, they just told me (as an assumption) that I already had bought something and not allowed to get anything else. That’s really a no go! Especially if you notice how multiple bottles are sold to other people (I was standing right next to it when one person bought several bottles at the same time, what should be impossible). Is his just discrimination of non-locals?

So what are we talking about here? Making up some random rules, not sticking to them by themselves and furthermore accusing other people of doing something wrong?

Honestly I’m really happy that I didn’t buy any Springbank whisky (and for sure won’t buy in the future) because that’s ridiculous!

Never felt less welcome in the whole UK before that, if that’s what Springbank is heading to, please do so...

I recently attended the Barley to Bottle Tour and found it fascinating and amazingly good value. If you are reading this you are probably aware that Springbank, unlike most distilleries, malt their own barley, distil the alcohol, store the alcohol in barrels then bottle on site. What you get on this tour beyond the usual distillery tours is insight into how the barley is malted, specifically for the three brands that Springbank covers (including Hazelburn and Longrow), which itself is fun and informative. This is followed by the usual display of the whisky production process followed by a tour of a whisky dunnage warehouse. Throughout this experience you get to sample each of the three expressions produced. Typical of the generosity of Springbank, however, you are not offered their “base” whiskies, instead you are offered 30 year old whisky, specifically identified as being from the best barrels available. After the provided lunch the real fun starts. You then get the opportunity to blend a malt to your own specification from six different Springbank casks. This provides the opportunity to distinguish the difference between first filled and refilled casks, and, for example how adding whisky from a rum filed cask changes the blended malt. Having made and tasted multiple combinations you then get the opportunity to create a full bottle of cask strength whisky which you get to take home. On first impression this experience seemed quite expensive. Having experienced it, it is an absolute bargain and a must do for any serious whisky aficionado. Thank you Springbank. Not only are your whiskies of the top level but you have achieved the same level with this tour. An experience I will...

Sprinbank must be the most analog distillery in Scotland, and that's a beautiful thing to behold in the digital age. It's as old school as it gets. The other admirable thing about Springbank, and there are many admirable things about this place, is that everything is done on site, from the floor malting to the bottling. That the distillery is held in trust, for the benefit of the distillery workers and the town, and cannot be bought by a huge multinational drinks company, is admirable beyond admirability. Informative tours, lovely staff, a shop with character and a pleasant tasting bar all add to the experience. So why am I giving Springbank only 4 stars? Well, it's the lack of the bottled product on sale at the end of the tour. Very disappointing for those who travel half way round the planet to visit this Mecca of the whisky World and cannot even take home a bottle of 10 year old Springbank let alone, something a little older. I understand that it's a scarce product but surely there must be a way to reward loyal Springbank fans who have made the effort of travelling all the way to...