Springbank’s Family History

As the oldest family owned distillery in Scotland, Springbank is also one of the most sought after spirits by collectors, a true testament to the high quality of the spirit hailing from Campbeltown.

The distillery was founded in 1828 by the Reid brothers, whose ownership was brief, selling the distillery in 1837 to John and William Mitchell. It is their descendants whom still own the distillery to this day as J&A Mitchell and Co.

From the Springbank stills there are three main styles of spirit distilled, Hazelburn which is triple distilled, a generally light soft spirit, Longrow is a very heavily peated spirit. The core Springbank spirit has a moderate peating level, and a rich full bodied character.

J&A Mitchell not only own the Springbank distillery, but they also acquired one of the oldest bottlers in Scotland in 1972, the same year as the legendary Cadenheads auction. In more recent times the Glengyne distillery was built by the company as a sister distillery to the historic Springbank.

The December 3 Rare & Fine Whisky Auction has a number of fantastic examples of Springbank spirit. Lots 59 and 60 have been matured for 30 and 25 years respectively, were bottled during the 1990’s, and presented in a wooden box. The more mature of the two is expected to achieve in the region of £2,000-£3,000, and the 25 years old for £1,400-£1,800.

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Graeme Maxwell

McTear’s is the longest-established auctioneer of whisky in the world. Entries are invited for this international auction. For a complimentary, no-obligation valuation, visit our Glasgow Galleries or contact our specialist on 0141 810 2880 or whisky@mctears.co.uk.