top of page
Hazelburn 21 Year Old - 2023 Release
A strong example of woody flavours, just lacks a touch of balance.
Score: 7 / B
21 August 2023
Category
Country
Region
Distillery
Owner
Age
ABV
Chill Filtered?
Added Colouring?
UK Price
Cask Makeup
Single Malt Scotch
Scotland
Campbeltown
Springbank
J & A Mitchell
21 Years Old
43.2%
No
No
£250
80% Bourbon, 10% Port, 10% Sherry
Introduction
Often overlooked by those clamouring for a taste of the elusive Springbank, Hazelburn is the unpeated offering and makes up around 10% of the distillery’s yearly output. This whisky is triple distilled and has cut point of 79% to 63% giving an oily full body with a fruity character.
The 21-year-old is one of the two core releases of the brand (the other being the 10-year-old). Getting hold of a bottle of Hazelburn has become more difficult over the past few years as the popularity of Springbank has flowed over into their other stables.
Colour
Golden Amber
Aroma
Pleasant. The fruity tones stand out: green apple, pears and a slight citrus note of lemon zest. Subtle wood notes follow with hints of vanilla and leather. Caramel coming through later along with earthy undertones.
Taste
Surprising following the nose and nicely complex. The whisky leans heavily into the woody notes, starting with the lighter vanilla before deepening into oaks and meandering onto leather and eventually through to tobacco. There is a light sense of soot which blends into the tobacco. A gentle salty flavour is also evident as the taste develops. The texture is oily and ever so slightly drying.
Finish
Some spice providing a lengthy finish supported by the continued presence of tobacco and a slight dark chocolate.
Water
Brings the sweeter fruit notes to the fore it also lightens those woody notes emphasising the vanilla to a greater extent.
Thoughts
Having loved the 2022 release the bar was set high on this years release. I was interested in the cask make up, most distillers seem to seek out sherry casks to impart colour and that dried fruit flavour which is so popular.
I really like that this whisky has centred on the wood notes. It is significantly different to the 2022 release which shows the agility of the spirit and the impact of cask selection limiting the fruit character associated with Hazelburn. My only real criticism is the lack a little balance between the nose and taste. Both are pleasent but for separate reasons. A drop of water is recommended but not too much, the ABV is already low at 43% and it is easy to wash it out.
Nose: 22 / 25
Taste: 23 / 25
Balance: 19 / 25
Value: 20 / 25
Total: 84 / 100
Worth the Purchase?
This bottle sits around the mid-range prices for this age statement. The 2023 release saw a hefty £60 price increase to £250 which has also seen the packaging regress to a thinner poor quality packaging. If this was aimed at dissuading the secondary market investors it did not have an immediate impact; with the bottle sold out almost immediately wherever it was listed. A significant amount of these quickly arrived on auction sites and this has seen the price drop below RRP as supply began to outstrip demand. I doubt this will last in the long term. It is a great whisky and if you are a fan of bourbon casks there are few competitors at this age statement.
Want to try something similar?
Glen Scotia 21 Year Old
©2023 whiskystraight.com
bottom of page