Scotland, Campbeltown. Distillery operational. Owner: J&A Mitchell & Co Ltd

It is no coincidence that four of the fifteen most prized distilleries in Scotland are family-owned or independent. Throughout the 20th century, this status led them to seize on any commercial opportunity open to them and to develop the marketing ingenuity key to the development and sustainability of their businesses. The Springbank distillery is one of the finest examples of the villainy of the Scotch whisky industry in the 20th century.This is seen in two exceptional bottlings, one distributed in the early 70s, a 50 year old distilled on 29 December 1919 (stated on its certificate), and the other released in the early 90s, a re-bottling from the distiller, limited to 24 editions worldwide, also displaying the vintage 1919. It is also seen in a move made at the very start of the 2000s, when, under pressure from a stock hit hard by years of production crisis (1980s), the Mitchell family decided to drastically change the profile of their single malt, taking the opportunity to change the bottle at the same time.

A single cask Springbank (#12379) distilled in 1996 and bottled at cask strength by Douglas Laing in 2018, matured for 21 years in a refill hogshead. Douglas Laing was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, primarily as a blending company but also as an independent bottler, an activity which grew over the years. The Extra Old Particular (XOP) range is reserved for single casks bottled either at cask strength or near cask strength without chillfiltration or artificial colouring. A limited edition of 332 bottles.