The Wine Reference🍷 SupportCampbeltown: Scotch malt whisky
Once home to dozens of distilleries and called the whisky capital of the world; today only a handful remain.
How it's made
Scotch rules apply. Springbank malts, distils and bottles everything on site, which is rare in Scotland.
Malted barley, sometimes peated, is mashed, fermented and distilled in copper pot stills. Springbank malts all its own barley on traditional floor maltings and distils its Springbank malt two and a half times, its Longrow twice and Hazelburn three times.
History
In the late 1800s Campbeltown had around 30 distilleries and called itself the whisky capital of the world. Overproduction, poor quality and Prohibition in the USA caused most to close in the 1920s and 1930s.
Ageing and label terms
Scotch must age at least 3 years in oak in Scotland. Campbeltown malts commonly carry age statements of 10 to 18 years and use ex-bourbon, sherry and wine casks.
Styles
Typically oily and briny with some smoke: unpeated (Hazelburn), lightly peated (Springbank) and heavily peated (Longrow), plus the fruity Glen Scotia and Kilkerran.
Rules and protected names
Campbeltown is one of the five protected regions of Scotch whisky in the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009. Standard Scotch rules apply: water, malted barley, oak casks, at least 3 years and at least 40% ABV.
How to serve and classic cocktails
Best neat, perhaps with a drop of water. In cocktails it works in a Rob Roy or Rusty Nail where its salty depth shows.
With food
Smoked fish, oysters, haggis, aged Cheddar and dark chocolate.
Good to know
Only three distilleries operate today: Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle, which bottles its whisky as Kilkerran. Springbank is one of very few Scottish distilleries that does every step from malting to bottling on site.
Producers
- Springbank
- Glen Scotia
- Glengyle (Kilkerran)
Bottles to try
Springbank 10 Year Old
Oily and briny: pear, vanilla, light peat and malt.
Serve: Neat
Glen Scotia Double Cask
Toffee, red fruit, vanilla and a faint salty edge.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: No age statement, first-fill bourbon casks then Pedro Ximénez sherry finish
One of only three working distilleries in Campbeltown, once called the whisky capital of the world. Bottled without chill filtration.
Serve: Neat
Kilkerran 12 Year Old
Citrus, brine, oily malt and a faint smoky edge.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: 12 years, mostly ex-bourbon with some ex-sherry casks
Kilkerran comes from the Glengyle distillery, revived in 2004 by the owners of Springbank after decades of silence. Bottled without chill filtration and with natural colour.
Serve: Neat or with a drop of water
Longrow Peated
Earthy peat smoke, brine, dried fruit, vanilla and a long oily finish.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: No age statement, ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
Longrow is the heavily peated whisky made at Springbank, distilled twice and dried over peat fire. The distillery does its own floor malting, which is rare in Scotland today.
Serve: Neat, or with a drop of water
Springbank 15 Year Old
Rich and layered: dried fruit, toffee, dark chocolate, a little smoke and a salty edge.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: 15 years, ex-sherry casks
Springbank malts all of its own barley on traditional floor maltings and carries out every step, from malting to bottling, at the distillery. It is bottled without chill filtration or added colour.
Serve: Neat with a drop of water
Hazelburn 10 Year Old
Light and fruity: pear, lemon, malt, vanilla and a creamy texture.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: 10 years, oak casks
Hazelburn is the unpeated, triple-distilled single malt made at Springbank in Campbeltown. It is bottled without chill-filtration or added colour.
Serve: Neat
Glen Scotia 15 Year Old
Coastal and rich: vanilla, honey, toasted nuts, dried fruit and a light salty edge.
Strength: 46% · Age and cask: 15 years, American oak casks
One of only three working distilleries in Campbeltown, the town that once had around thirty. It shows the oily, gently briny house style of the Kintyre peninsula.
Serve: Neat, with a drop of water
More whisky regions
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