SPRINGBANK 12 Year Old Green Thistle 100° Proof "Double Dark"

The Springbank 12 Year Old "Green Thistle" 100° Proof is a legendary "old-school" bottling from the 1990s that has achieved cult status among collectors. It is widely nicknamed "Double Dark" (or "Dark-Dark") by the whisky community, specifically the PLOWED Society, due to its exceptionally deep, sherried color.

The unique character of this bottling stems from an extraordinary production story. During the mid-1990s, Springbank reportedly had surplus casks from the legendary 1960s vintages that had aged for 30–36 years. Because these casks had evaporated below the legal 40% ABV limit for Scotch whisky, they could not be bottled alone. Rather than using water, the distillery allegedly used this ultra-aged, under-proof spirit to dilute their 12-year-old cask-strength stock down to 100° proof (50% ABV). This resulted in a 12-year-old whisky that drinkers often claim tastes and behaves like a 30-year-old.