Of the distiller's four brands, J&A Mitchell's triple-distilled single malt continues to receive the least amount of geek lust. That's fine. I'd say, "More for the rest of us," if I could find one damned bottle of Hazelburn anywhere. Anyway, if you spy the official 10 year old, have at it, it's very good.
Methinks menoses peat in nearly every Hazeblurn, as is the case with many "unpeated" malts from peaty distilleries, but that's a feature not a bug; a little extra dash of phenolics never hurt any whisky. I have here at hand five Hazelburns, and I'll review one each day this week. Will I find some peatiness, fruitiness, triple-distilled oddities, or all of the above?
Today, it's 2021's 13 year old limited edition that somewhat mirrors Springbank's 12yo CSes, with its 75% bourbon cask, 25% sherry cask approach.
Ignore the pic, this was actually the 2021 release |
Owner: J&A Mitchell
Brand: Hazelburn
Region: Campbeltown
Age: 13 years (June 2007 - 12 April 2021)
Maturation: 75% ex-bourbon casks, 25% ex-sherry casks
Outturn: 6,300 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.6%
(sample from a bottle split, via Mr. Ricebowl)
NEAT
A gorgeous amount of barley in the nose, along with a vibrant ocean breeze. A good dose of seaweed meets a patch of moss. Lemon joins confectioner's sugar. A hint of hot tar in the background. The palate is sweet and tart, with loads of barley, peaches and apricots. Moments of butterscotch, salt and farm float by here and there. The finish has a decent length, and holds onto the apricots, salt, barley and lemon.
DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose focuses on apples, lemons, apricots and hay. The palate gets sharper, tarter and saltier. The finish is all apples, salt and hay.
WORDS WORDS WORDS
I adore this style of whisky, barley-driven yet not half-baked. It's also the apricottiest™ whisky I've ever had. Makes me regret not picking up a bottle last year. I think the low ABV had me slightly worried, or maybe it was my personal life falling apart. Six of one, half dozen of the other. What a great start to this week!
Availability - Sold out?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 89