Hazelburn 10 Year Old – 46%

Released in 2014, I tried this at the distillery a few days before it was due to hit the shelves and really enjoyed it. Part of the Hazelburn core range, this is a 10 year old bottling of Hazelburn single malt Scotch whisky from the Springbank distillery in the Campbeltown region. It is triple distilled, unpeated, matured in bourbon casks and bottled at 46% ABV. Not chill filtered and no colouring.

Nose: Quality and craft pours out of this as soon as you get your nose to it, packed with great oak, the sort of old oaky smell you get in dunnage warehouses. A slight mineral tone and sweet barley. It noses as something slightly older maybe. A tiny bit of salt and some gentle sweet summer fruits. After a bit of time to breath a bit of waxiness also comes through.
Palate: Thick and mouth coating with gently sweet, fruity oils with a pinch of spices. The quality from the nose comes through clearly into the palate. There’s a fudgey creamy quality and chocolate.
Finish: Jam packed with gorgeous flavours, some of which are from the great quality bourbon wood. It’s really long and leaves flavours on your palate for yonks, as long as many a peated whisky.
Thoughts: I was hugely impressed with this dram when I had it as the first dram of a big Islay tour, and it always stood out in my mind after the tour, which already marked it out as a potential gem. After coming back to it now my mind certainly hasn’t changed, it’s a gorgeous dram packed with personality and craft. It’s by far one of the best quality affordable 10 year old drams on the market right now, quite a hidden gem in my mind. If you’ve lamented the departure of the Bruichladdich 10yo then look no further than getting a bottle of this right now.
Extra: The distilleries own tasting notes are here, I’d agree with all of them: http://www.springbankwhisky.com/whisky/hazelburn/10-years/
Available: Green Welly Stop – £35.60