Campbeltown whiskies

Campbeltown is a small town on the Kintyre peninsula, in south-west Scotland, and the country’s smallest whisky region. It once had dozens of distilleries and was called the whisky capital of the world, but today only three remain: Springbank, Glen Scotia and Glengyle, whose whisky is sold as Kilkerran. Its style is unique, with salt, oil and often a touch of smoke.

In the catalogue
9 whiskies
Distilleries and brands
3
Most common type
Single malt
Peated
3 of 9

History, style and where to startIts distilleries on the world map

9 whiskies

Guide to Campbeltown

History

In the 19th century Campbeltown enjoyed a golden age thanks to its harbour, nearby coal and peat, and exports to the United States. At its peak it had more than twenty working distilleries. Falling quality, American Prohibition and the economic crisis of the 1920s and 1930s led to the closure of almost all of them. Springbank and Glen Scotia survived, and in 2004 Glengyle reopened, owned by the same people as Springbank, which helped keep the region alive.

What the law says

Campbeltown is one of the five regions protected by the 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulations, alongside Speyside, the Highlands, the Lowlands and Islay. A whisky may only state it on the label if it has been distilled entirely there. Today only three distilleries can use it, making it the smallest protected region.

Style and flavour

Campbeltown’s character is briny, oily and full-bodied, with notes of fruit, cereal and sometimes gentle smoke. Springbank is the most singular house: it malts its own barley and produces three styles, Springbank, lightly peated; Longrow, very smoky; and Hazelburn, unpeated and triple distilled. Glen Scotia is a little fruitier and smoother, and Kilkerran sits between the two.

Average flavour profile of the 9 Campbeltown whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
2.8
Fresh fruit
2.2
Ripe and dried fruit
1.6
Floral and herbal
0.8
Cereal and malt
2.0
Vanilla and creamy
1.9
Oak
1.6
Spicy
1.8
Toasted
1.5
Smoky
1.1
Maritime
1.8
Body and intensity
2.7

Where to start

Glen Scotia Double Cask is a friendly way in, with fruit and vanilla. Springbank 10 Year Old is the region’s classic: briny, oily and lightly smoky. If you like it, Kilkerran 12 Year Old offers a slightly fruitier version of the same style. They are bottles that can sometimes be hard to find.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors.

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