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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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February 13, 2024 |
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WF's Little Duos, today Hazelburn
So unpeated, triple-distilled Springbank. We're always a little late with our Hazelburns, is this some curse straight from the Wee Toon?…
This old 'Hazelburn' was part of a whole series of fake malts labeled Thorne & Sons that flooded the market in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some bottles still seem to appear here and there, so new collectors must be very careful and adhere to the golden rule 'if it seems too good to be true, it is'.
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Hazelburn 10 yo (46%, OB, 2020) 
I have to say I loved Hazelburn 10 last time I formally tried it, in 2016 (the 2014 edition, WF 90). It was still sporting its round silver label, but things seem to have now been simplified, if not cheapened. Not talking about the content, naturally, let's check it out… Colour: white wine. Nose: fully on raw wool, porridge, chalk and mud, crushed slate, apple peel, mown lawn and broken branches. Absolutely not the softer, fruitier, easier character of other triple-distilled malts such as Auchentoshan or, say some Irish. Mouth: frankly good, with sour fruits, white wines, doughs and lemons. Several kinds of apples, then a little menthol, liquorice and aniseed. Finish: medium, sweet and fruity. Riesling, lemon and green apples, oak and vanilla in the aftertaste. Comments: still an awesome dram, but I'm not sure it's still got that incredible presence. It seems Hazelburn 10 has fallen into line a little bit, in a manner of speaking. It was still sporting some smokiness last time, but not this time.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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Hazelburn 16 yo 2005/2021 (58%, Cadenhead, Sherry Cask, oloroso hogshead, 240 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: bits of eggplant and cabbage at first, then green walnuts and just damp black earth plus pumpernickel. The jury's still out. With water: a lot of damp cardboard, old newspapers, rainwater, supermarket sandwich… Mouth (neat): bizarre but pleasant. Sulphur, rose jelly, lavender and violet syrup, blood oranges, tinned sardines, Cherry Coke, Red Bull… Something else, really. With water: raspberry liqueur, where does it come from? Timut pepper too, pink grapefruits, juicy fruit, putty… Finish: medium, with damp paper, something a tad stale… Comments: a strange Hazelburn, with these touches of sulphur that you could find in young Springbanks twenty years ago. Some other sides are brilliant, though.
SGP:642 - 85 points. |
See you in a few years for more Hazelburn. |
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