Rating: 15/23 I wasn't too impressed by Hazelburn the first time I tried one. It was good, but expensive. When I came across a bottle at a reasonable(ish) price, I picked it up, hoping that it would be markedly better. And boy was it! It's an excellent bottle that I'm so glad I didn't pass on. Now I have a third Hazelburn to try - one that I even saw locally last week as what appeared to be a shockingly reasonable price. I'm crossing my fingers that that is close in quality to me Hazelburn 13 (2021). N: Grassy with stone fruit. Dry grass with some fresh. Some interesting funk coming out of it that makes me think of Springbank, but isn't nearly as pronounced as in Springbank proper. I get a faint phenolic bite that makes me think of peat, but I know that this isn't peated, so I'm not quite sure what it is. Hints of meat, slightly roasted. That's under control though. As for the stone fruit, I get white peaches mainly. Some tangerine works its way in there too. Hints of bing cherry. Overall, it's a great nose, though it might be a tad youthful. P: Peach, tangerine, and apricot hit me first. Some bold Springbank flavors swoop in right after that, but then the fruit takes back over. There's a bit more of a bite to this than I'd like and there's sort of a slightly empty center making way for the alcohol if that makes any sense. Looping back to the Springbank flavors, I get seashells, dry grass, and a bit of wax. There's some bitter barrel in here as well, with a bit of vanilla, but not a lot of spices, aside from something generically peppery that burns. The sherry presence really stands out more here. F: It burns a bit. It's kind of a clean alcohol and creek water profile mixed with remnants of the stone fruit. It's too light, with not much happening, and there's a bit of a bitter note too. - Conclusion - This is very good, but I won't be rushing out to buy a bottle. My Hazelburn 13 (2021) (20/23) is significantly better. It really beats this in terms of complexity and balance, and it brings in more Springbank character (without overwhelming) with less burn. This definitely has more delicious sherry flavor, but it isn't as good in any other regard. Glen Grant 18 (18/23) is smoother and more balanced with more nuance. This is more interesting, but it's definitely not as good. And the margin is still unfortunately substantial. Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) is funkier, sweeter, richer, and more balanced than this is. It does have a significant peppery burn to it as well, but it's more balanced and integrated. Ah, Cadenhead's Deanston 19 (1994-2014) (15/23) - this one is similar in quality. Trying these two side by side, I'm now noticing more cinnamon, clove, and ginger in this. This is a 15. It's probably on the high side of 15, but it's not quite up to a 16. Enjoyable, but a disappointing regression for Hazelburn, to be sure. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for sharing this and thereby helping me continue my Hazelburn exploration!