malt_muser
Hazelburn 13 Year Oloroso Cask Matured
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed
January 3, 2019 (edited March 27, 2022)
47.1% abv
13 year age statement
Non Chill filtered
Natural color
Nose: complex; Stawberry/Raspberry/Green Apple; a faint and pleasant “mustiness;” orange cremcicle; slight vanilla; baked almond; slight raisin.
Palate: sweetness from berries; spices, like coriander and a hint of mint, black pepper; tobacco; powdered sugar; drying development; medium viscosity. So much happening here.
Finish: medium-long and warming; slight sourness like grapefruit, but balanced well with a sort of creaminess; hint of like charcoal smoke?; along slight cinnamon and nutmeg and the green apple returns.
Value: Price ranges from $110-140 USD. Worth it.
Final thoughts: A funky, complex dram of superior quality that could only come from Campeltown (and Springbank). This single malt is challenging, nuanced and rewarding, and is a must have for seasoned scotch drinkers with a soft spot for sherry.
4.5/5
Highly recommend buying a bottle
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@AntonioSchmid Oh and definitely try SB 15. One of my top all time personal favorites
@AntonioSchmid Yes the 2018 I had the issue with. As SH noted Springbank, Craigellachie, Mortlock are all distilleries which produce noticable sulphur notes as part of their distilling process (which I like). In addition to this to stop the growth of bad bacteria in sherry casks before reuse sulphur candle smoke can be used to kill any potentially bad bacteria. If they overdo this then you can have sulphur taint. Instead of the cask moderating sulphur in the distillate it makes it much worse.
Springbank, craigellachie, mortlach are examples of distilleries that intentionally have a sulfur character. When tempered by good wood interaction, it adds a desirable meaty and funky base note. The bad sulfur is from bad casks or not enough maturity. It is a stinky, eggy top note.
@Soba45 I only had Springbank 10 and Hazelburn 10 but liked Springbank a tad more. Haven’t tried Springbank 15 yet but funny thing is that I decided for this bottle being the other option the Spr. 15. For what I understood from your 2 reviews you really liked the 2017 Ed. (That I bought) but had sulphur problems with the 2018 (9000 bottles) that you got later. Wasn’t it?? 😱
@AntonioSchmid Nice! Have you had any Hazelburn or any of Springbank distilleries offerings? If you like say Springbank 15 you'll love this, if you've never had any it'll be an interesting experience and I'll cross my fingers you'll like it! Also sadly the 2018 was the only bottle I ever returned. I bought without trying off the back of the 2017 and although I like sulfur it was by just completely tainted. Hopefully a) you don't mind sulphur and b) it's not full on tainted. Apparently it's a bit of a character flaw with Springbank distilleries. At mild levels it contributes to the awesome character..this was not mild! You may need to let the bottle breathe for a fair while i.e. weeks
@Rabbit_in_Red and @Soba45 I just bought a bottle of this (2017 Ed. - limited to 12000 bottles) based on yours reviews! This will be my first Campbeltown bottle so you two bear a great responsibility! 😉 (Paid USD 100)