Kategoriarkiv: Hazelburn

Hazelburn 8 YO Sauternes Wood

ABV: 55.9 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and spicy. At first there’s a dark syrup sweetness combined with a mixed spicyness. It’s quite powerful in its initial impact. There are notes of ginger, vanilla, white pepper, dried fruits and assorted nuts all attached to each other in the center. On the outside there are yellow tropical fruits like mango and pineapple creating a thin layer. With time the fresher fruitiness increases in intensity and together with a honey note they become the main attraction. There is also a coffee note floating around on top. This is a great, complex nose which develops in a great way over time.

Mouth: It starts out with a dusty black pepper veil with a very fruity and sweet center underneath. There are still dessert-like notes of mango, pineapple, honey, vanilla and nuts within and in the background a gritty and oily note with rubber, leather and black coffee starts to emerge. The whole is very complex and there are ripe fruit notes and coconuts floating around as well. The black pepper creates a nice spicyness throughout but it never becomes too spicy.

Finish: The transition is mellow without being bland. The spicyness never spikes and now it’s a mix of pepper and baking spices. The ripe fruit notes and the same gritty and oily background notes carry over without any dips in flavour. Coconut and a hint of banana come through before the mango and pineapple notes return. The coffee bitterness in the back returns as well. The finish is very long and rewarding and it almost feels like a christmas in the middle of summer. This is a somewhat weird but absolutely fantastic whisky. It offers equally much to both whisky exploring and being the occasional easy drinking tasty dram.

Additional information
This whisky was first aged for 5 years in refill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 3 years in Sauternes casks (2002/2011). 9180 bottles were released. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Hazelburn 10 YO – Rundlets & Kilderkins

ABV: 46.8 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and very fruity. At first there’s a cinnamon and apple center with a vanilla and honey coating. It feels very dessert-like. There are malt and wood spices which sort of fills the gaps between the other flavours. With time in the glass the fruitiness evolves and the whole becomes more acidic and sour, which fits nicely as a contrast to the otherwise sweet character. It also becomes more oaky. This is a nice nose which has a nice journey throughout.

Mouth: It starts out with a small gap in flavour and then it becomes quite sour with vanilla and honey mixed in. It has a very nice rich texture with a slightly dusty coating. There’s a bitterness on the outside and together with the sourness it becomes a lemon peel note. There’s still cinnamon and now a heavy oakiness with a lot of spicyness attached to it arrives. A small fresh fruitiness comes through as attached to the oakiness but it’s undefinable. With time the lemon peel note becomes a bit too much.

Finish: The finish starts out with a one second dip in flavour before the lemon peel note completely takes over with the spicy oak sitting around the edges. There’s a slightly weird floral note in the back, otherwise it’s very sour and bitter. After a few seconds it slowly becomes more sweet with vanilla and honey. The late finish is all about a very fresh, aromatic and spicy oak. For those who are patient the oakiness turns very nutty. Still, it’s a bit too much in the end. This is a good whisky and it has a very interesting journey, but the quirky character becomes a bit unbearable.

Additional information
This whisky was distilled in 2003 and bottled in 2014. 12000 bottles were released. It’s aged in rundlets and kilderkins. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Hazelburn 13 YO Oloroso (2020)

ABV: 50.3 %
Origin: Campbeltown
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet, dark and fruity. At first there’s a big hit of dark and dried fruits with raisins and overripe plums and a liquorice and tobacco note attached to them. Underneath lies a complex sweetness with brown sugar and vanilla mixed with gritty and earthy notes, yet it feels very clean and well made. With time in the glass it becomes brighter and leans more towards a mixed bag of dried fruits and less of the ripe notes. This is a great nose which delivers exactly what the premisses promises.

Mouth: It starts out with a big hit of sweetness filling up the edges and a bright fruitiness in the middle with a slight bitterness attached to the backside of it. It’s rich of lemons and dried tropical fruits as well as some coconut flakes. The liquorice and the tobacco is still detectable and sit with the sweetness around the edges. There’s a nice spicyness which slowly builds up over time and gives it a nice power-up after a few seconds. The gritty and earthy note is somewhat hidden in the background at this point but it’s still in there.

Finish: The transition is quite logical without any surges. It’s just continues the journey with the brighter fruits in the middle becoming slightly more sour around the edges. The sweetness start to fade first, which gives the fruitiness a few seconds to shine before the oakiness start to take over. It’s a slightly dusty oakiness with a hint of walnuts. The liquorice and tobacco notes from the sherry casks tag along quite a while down the road. This is a great whisky from start to finish with good cask influence and a clean distillate.

Additional information
This whisky was triple distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2020. 9900 bottles were released. It was aged in ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

If you like my reviews and wish to offer a small donation, please click the ”donate” button below!

Small Donate Button

Hazelburn 10 YO (2019 Release)

ABV: 46 %
Origin:
Campbeltown
Type:
Single malt
Bottles in collection:
1
Emptied bottles:
0
Impression:
4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a honey sweetness with notes of vanilla and fudge. Close behind there is a big bowl of fruits and red berries. There are mainly pears, but also assorted tropical fruits and a hint of strawberries. There’s also a floral quality to it, and a small hint of dry soil. This is very gentle on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out quite spicy and dry. The honey layer sits on top, but it’s not as sweet as on the nose. The fruitiness have shifted from pears towards bitter lemon and grapefruit. It’s a mix of bitterness and fresh fruitiness. A touch of the Springbank oily/rubbery character shines through just before the oakiness arrive.

Finish: It’s still spicy, but the focus is mainly on the citrus fruits with grapefruit and orange peel. The honey still sits as a top layer but the whole isn’t especially sweet. The vanilla and fudge notes return for a second before the oak comes through. The oakiness changes the fruitiness towards tropical fruits. There’s a nutty quality to the late oak finish. It’s still quite bitter all the way through. This is a competent whisky from good casks. It doesn’t impress, but it really doesn’t disappoint either.

Additional information
The Hazelburn 10 YO was first released in 2014. It’s a triple distilled, unpeated expression from Springbank. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and it’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.