HAZELBURN SINGLE MALT
Oloroso cask matured (March 2025)MASH BILL – 100% malted barley
PROOF – 96.4
AGE – 8 years
DISTILLERY – Springbank Distillery (J. & A. Mitchell & Co)
PRICE – $152
WORTH BUYING? – Mmmm… At closer to $100 I’d say yes for sure.
Took me awhile, but here I am with my first foray into the Hazelburn corner of Springbank’s operations.
J. & A. Mitchell & Co’s brand range includes Glen Scotia, Hazelburn, Kilkerran, Longrow, and Springbank. The Springbank releases are the most known and sought after. Longrow seems to stand second, with Kilkerran and Glen Scotia positioned somewhat side by side, third in the whisky fan awareness lineup. In that regard it’s worth noting that while Glen Scotia garners respect, it seems to get less distribution overall in the US, which renders it less widely known here.
And then there’s Hazelburn, standing apart and wallflower-like toward the back of the family photo. The Springbank website nutshells the brand this way:
Our Hazelburn range takes its name from one of Campbeltown’s lost distilleries and was first produced at Springbank Distillery in 1997. Making full use of all three stills, this range is triple distilled and unpeated.
Maybe it’s the unpeated aspect that leaves Hazelburn neglected? Or that grey label, making no particular demands on the eye? Or is it the tasting experience…?
Here we are, two days after uncorking and two pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – medium oranges with smoky, smoldering fiery highlights
NOSE – industrial soot and long-dried tar, fresh plum and baked cherry, subtle graham cracker and candied ginger, dry aged oak
TASTE – very creamy texture, with subtle bitter oak tannin etched around distinct Oloroso sherry, whole cream, a fine gritty sootiness
FINISH – the fruit and soot notes nicely balanced, underlined by salted caramel, and with a lingering mouthwatering tanginess like from sweet fruit skins with their kiss of bitterness
OVERALL – an “interesting” whisky, balanced between its rough and smooth aspects
I put “interesting” in quotes in reference to that common use of the word, whereby one politely hesitates to say outright that something is displeasing.
The prominent industrial sootiness of this whisky is perfectly and quite confidently balanced with its sweet fruit notes. The almost casual self-assurance of that balance, along with the creamy texture and taste, stop me short of dismissing the whisky as displeasing. There is something relaxed about its counter-intuitive challenge to the senses that compels me to stick with it rather than push it away.
This poses an interesting question about the general personality of a whisky, as related but ultimately distinct from its flavor profile. The former is more overarching and the latter more specific. One could never argue against the general quality of J. & A. Mitchell & Co whiskies, for example. They are inevitably impeccable in that regard. So one could say their general personality smacks of quality. Beyond that, and from brand to brand within their portfolio, it becomes a matter of one’s own specific taste whether or not this or that flavor profile appeals.
From this intro to Hazelburn, I would say the brand is closer to Longrow than it is to Springbank. It’s that notable industrial quality. Likewise, I’d say Longrow is closer to Springbank than to Hazelburn. It’s that ultimate emphasis on the more obviously appealing sweet and creamy notes. I’d need to do a proper side by side to really test that assertion, of course. But that’s my off the cuff conclusion here.
These formal notes are coming from this bottle’s second pour. I’m very curious to see how it continues to evolve over time. It’s good. And interesting.
Sláinte!
The Right Spirit 