pkingmartin
Hazelburn 13 Year Old 2007
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed
November 10, 2021 (edited November 24, 2021)
So this is the follow up of the incredible 2020 version of Hazelburn 13, which is a blend of bourbon and sherry casks that is bottled at 48.6%.
The nose starts with a light mix of bourbon and sherry followed by sun soaked hay along with cinnamon raisin oatmeal cookies then funky fruits of baked salty lemon, orange and poached pear before transitioning to a light peat smoke, sea water crashing over coastal rocks and vanilla cream with no ethanol burn.
The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a light mix of bourbon and sherry followed by barnyard hay then funky fruits of baked salted orange, lemon and pear before a moderate sulfur and spice come in mid-palate that overpowers but eventually fades to a light peat smoke, light minerality and vanilla extract with light ethanol burn.
The finish is medium length with lingering sulfur bitterness, chocolate covered raisins, light campfire ash, ocean sea salt, and baked oranges.
The nose started promising with light aromas of a mix of bourbon and sherry casks with barnyard hay, cinnamon raisin cookies, citrus fruits, light smoke and some minerality that carries over to the palate but quickly turns bitter with a sulfur and spice overload that fades but then re-emerges on the finish overpowering those funky fruits.
This is sadly nowhere near the amazing 2020 version that was all oloroso casks that in a side by side really highlights the thinner mouthfeel, bitterness and off-balance of the 2021 version. I now must wait patiently and hopeful for when the 2022 version comes out to hopefully restock my ever depleting supply of Hazelburn 13.
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@ContemplativeFox Ah, maybe save it then? If you have any Glendronach, it could be an interesting side by side with one of those.
@pkingmartin haha I was saving the Hazelburn for a special occasion, but maybe I don't need to now? 🙃
@ContemplativeFox That sounds great! Maybe even side by side it with your 2021?
@pkingmartin Maybe I should bust open that Hazelburn sample you sent me so I can post it along with the others 🤔
@cascode I completely agree! Springbank makes some of the best whisky made and this has been one of the few duds from them for me. @ContemplativeFox Now I can’t wait to read your Springbank reviews! The 18 I sent you is a 4 for me. It’s very good and balanced but doesn’t reach the heights of the Hazelburn 13(2020) IMHO.
@pkingmartin Thanks. I still have some optimism because I adored the SB 18 that was only aged in bourbon barrels, even though most others didn't. That reminds me that I have a bunch of SB tastings I haven't posted yet. And a bunch of others too. Geeze, I'm getting WAY behind.
Springbank’s warehouses contain a wide variety of small sets of casks rather than hundreds of identical bourbon barrels. A batch is composed when it’s ready from what is best at the time (to a large extent, anyway). Hence the constant variety of casking. It’s an old-school small distillery approach that embraces change and variety – or maybe just ignores the whole issue? You get the occasional dud from Springbank but their average product is very good, their worst is better than the best from some others, and on occasion they bring out a gem. The adventure is worth the risk IMHO.
@ContemplativeFox Yeah, not sure. I guess they were just playing around with their stock on hand to create something different. Also, sorry to hear you have the 2021, but perhaps you’ll like it better than me. Either way, I’ll be interested in reading your thoughts on it.
Damn, I just remembered I bought a bottle of Hazelburn a couple months ago and it turns out it's the 2021 :(
Wow, that's a huge disappointment :( It seems like they found a winning strategy, so why throw it out?
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Yeah, me either. It seems like the variations can differ a lot but I didn’t think I would rate it as low as I did. Springbanks tend to show up to a few stores in DC but I have to be quick as they can sometimes only last a week or two.
Until @cascode pointed out that they pull from sherry, bourbon, ex-etc at Will with these I had no idea there could be so much variation. The real PITA is that these aren’t particularly easy to track down!