It shouldn't be a surprise then that when I was asked if I wanted to try some well-aged releases from House of Hazelwood, the latest venture from the Gordon Family (owners of WG&S), a very emphatic yes quickly followed.
Jonathan explained that Charles Gordon (great-grandson of William Grant, father of the current WG&S Chairman & influential character in the company's history) began collecting casks not for commercial release, but for the family's personal stocks decades ago, and built the collection to the point that it simply became "too large". No doubt buoyed by whisky's immense rising popularity, the family decided it was time to bottle and sell these, and hence the House of Hazelwood collection was born, with a plan to release 8 new whiskies every 6-9 months.
Depending on when you began your whisky journey, "Hazelwood" could mean a few different things - a limited series of releases dating back to 2001 (with the first released only to WG&S employees, and the second being the first official bottling of Kininvie single malt), or a 2016 series of blended releases found largely in duty free, bottled in 500mL format as an 18, 21 and 25 year old.
It's the Hazelwood brand's most recent incarnation we're here to discuss though, and arguably its most exciting. To learn more, I sat down with Director Jonathan Gibson for a virtual tasting recently.
(A point I found interesting is that the casks that go into the House of Hazelwood collection don't contain old Glenfiddich, Balvenie or Kininvie. The distilleries are diverse and varied, and the majority of the whiskies are blended, blended malt or blended grain whiskies.)
I asked Jonathan (who himself came from Compass Box) about the cask management - he explained some are actively managed, and others are left alone. Some are blended at birth (like the aptly titled "Blended at Birth"!) and others blended later in life.
The company (under the WG&S umbrella, but run as a separate company to the distilleries) launched in June 2022, and has recently officially launched in Australia, largely following a model of selling direct to consumers. With some luck Hong Kong distribution won't be too far behind.
Having covered the background, it was time to dive into a tasting of the 4 releases House of Hazelwood had kindly sent me:
House of Hazelwood 1965 "Blended at Birth" Blended Scotch Whisky (47% ABV, Blended Scotch, 56yo, 1 of 192 bottles, Scotland, £4,500)
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A blend containing Girvan grain whisky, blended into the cask at birth and bottled a whopping 56 years later.
A blend containing Girvan grain whisky, blended into the cask at birth and bottled a whopping 56 years later.
Colour: Deep amber
Nose: Dunnage warehouse, menthol, orange and almond.
Palate: Quite nutty initially - almonds, almondmeal and almond cake. Orange and grapefruit notes show up soon after, followed by herbal jelly. With some time in the glass, a brandy fruitiness emerges.
Finish: Long and lingering, with a slight fruit spice towards teh end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). A very solid start, and a whisky that evokes those "old whisky" notes (as opposed to "old bottle") the way very few can.
House of Hazelwood "The Tops" Blended Malt Whisky (51.6% ABV, 33yo, 1 of 523 bottles, Blended Malt, Scotland, £1,450)
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Containing a blend of Speyside malts, matured in ex-Sherry casks.
Colour: Dark copper-brown.
Nose: Cherry, berry fruits at first. Rich, but beautifully clean sherry notes follow with juicy oak and some coffee grounds.
Palate: Spiced oak, caramel, hunidor, followed by more cherry, some sherry-soaked raisins, and rum & raisin ice cream.
Finish: Lasts incredibly long, with a fruity, rum & raisin finish with a hint of residual oak.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Exactly what you want in a sherried Speyside - clean but noticeable sherry, with the oak in-check.
Containing a blend of Speyside malts, matured in ex-Sherry casks.
Colour: Dark copper-brown.
Nose: Cherry, berry fruits at first. Rich, but beautifully clean sherry notes follow with juicy oak and some coffee grounds.
Palate: Spiced oak, caramel, hunidor, followed by more cherry, some sherry-soaked raisins, and rum & raisin ice cream.
Finish: Lasts incredibly long, with a fruity, rum & raisin finish with a hint of residual oak.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Exactly what you want in a sherried Speyside - clean but noticeable sherry, with the oak in-check.
House of Hazelwood "The Unknown" Blended Scotch Whisky (43.3% ABV, 44yo, 1 of 143 bottles, Blended Scotch, Scotland, £3,000)
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Distilled in 1978 and blended in 1989, "The Unknown" underwent an extensive secondary maturation for a further 33 years in a single refill butt
Colour: Bright yellow-gold.
Nose: Fresh vanilla pods in a fruit salad - pear, peach, apple predominantly.
Palate: More vanilla - creamy, with the same fruit salad notes from the nose, adding in nectarine and some citrus. There's a light, delicate mouthfeel and an underlying sweetness you find with some old grain whiskies.
Finish: Medium to long in length, with vanilla-laced smooth oak notes.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100 (Martin).
Distilled in 1978 and blended in 1989, "The Unknown" underwent an extensive secondary maturation for a further 33 years in a single refill butt
Colour: Bright yellow-gold.
Nose: Fresh vanilla pods in a fruit salad - pear, peach, apple predominantly.
Palate: More vanilla - creamy, with the same fruit salad notes from the nose, adding in nectarine and some citrus. There's a light, delicate mouthfeel and an underlying sweetness you find with some old grain whiskies.
Finish: Medium to long in length, with vanilla-laced smooth oak notes.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100 (Martin).
House of Hazelwood "A Breath of Fresh Air" Blended Grain Whisky (46.4% ABV, 37yo, 1 of 417 bottles, Blended Grain, Scotland, £3,000)
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Colour: Morning sunrise golden
Nose: Strawberries, Butter Menthol lollies, creamed honey and an underlying butteriness.
Palate: Light, with the buttery notes continuing alongside some rum-like esthers, heather & honey.
Finish: Medium in length, with a sweet buttery shortbread note that gains some dryness towards the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100 (Martin). A delightful example of the unique characteristics old Grain whisky can produce.
Colour: Morning sunrise golden
Nose: Strawberries, Butter Menthol lollies, creamed honey and an underlying butteriness.
Palate: Light, with the buttery notes continuing alongside some rum-like esthers, heather & honey.
Finish: Medium in length, with a sweet buttery shortbread note that gains some dryness towards the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100 (Martin). A delightful example of the unique characteristics old Grain whisky can produce.
House of Hazelwood whiskies are available now in UK and Australia, purchased directly from the official website, with further distribution to follow. The collection is expected to grow every 6-9 months (with another 8 bottles added), and we can't wait to see how the future releases shape up.
Cheers,
Martin.
Thanks to House of Hazelwood for the samples, and to Jonathan for his time.
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