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Hazelburn 8 Year Old

Winner of Robbie's Night

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@Pudge72Review by @Pudge72

26th Jan 2013

0

Hazelburn 8 Year Old
  • Nose
    24
  • Taste
    21
  • Finish
    19
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    86

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Ok, I have read each of the three previous reviews of this bottle. Based on the descriptions I either experienced an 'off' bottle that was off in a wonderful way, or Hazelburn has done a tremendous job with altering/tweaking the bottling for the better. Whatever the reason, it has inspired me to write my first review in over a year and a half. Megawatt's well done review shared the most elements with my experience from last night, compared to the other previously written reviews.

A friend and I went to a Robbie Burns dinner/tasting where this was the 2nd whisky of three.

At first nosing, we both got light/sweet notes. Cotton candy was immediately apparent to me, while my friend noticed apricots. As time passed the nose seemed to change several times. At various points, pineapple and candied grapefruit popped up on my radar. Mixed in later on, quite oddly, was the aroma of a new pencil eraser. This may have been a by-product of the youth of the whisky...I don't know how else to explain it. Somehow, this unusual note worked, I believe in part due to the more active nature of the aroma profile notes as a whole.

The palate continued the sweet profile where orange evolved into juicy apricot fruit (not straight juice though). A fresh, lighter feeling, yet still quite complex profile.

The apricot remained, though started to dry out, on the finish.

My friend enjoyed the whisky so much that he got another glass (I'm kicking myself for joining him). He let me nose that 2nd glass, and the sweet apricot aroma became quite pronounced, the sweetness of the apricot and cotton candy then morphed into a very strong caramel note, similar to smelling one of those Kraft caramel squares that were part of Halloween treat bags while growing up. Overall, the intensity of the aromatic notes of that 2nd glass really enhanced the overall experience.

At only eight years old the light colour of the bottle, similar to apple juice 1/2 diluted with water, was not surprising. The overall complexity of the aroma profile, along with the lack of alcohol bite (thank you triple distillation!) seems pleasantly unusual for a younger whisky. Overall, a very enjoyable 1st time Hazelburn experience.

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3 comments

@Pudge72
Pudge72 commented

slight edit: (I'm kicking myself for NOT joining him).

11 years ago 0

@WhiskyBee
WhiskyBee commented

@Pudge72 - This is a whisky I might have passed by, but it's now got my attention thanks to your great review. Hazelburn is the only one of the three Springbank brands I haven't tried. The only question that remains is: which one? The three expressions available in this area -- the 8 yo, the 8 yo Sauternes Finish, and the 12 yo -- are all priced the same, so I may have to do some research. But you make this one sound like a good starting point.

11 years ago 0

@Pudge72
Pudge72 commented

Thank you for the kind comments. I have not yet tried any other Hazelburns, so comparative notes are not possible for me. That being said, my friend (who does enjoy generally lighter profile whiskies like this one, early on in his whisky journey) did buy a bottle within a week of the tasting event, and it is on my wishlist to pick up at some point (so the $$$, at some point, will be where the keyboard is currently).

FWIW, I would start with the 8 yo, if for no other reason than it is the bottling that is closest to the 'essence' of Hazelburn (younger age, with no finishing of the product). However, you may get a richer profile from the extra four years of the 12 yo...and at the same price? That situation has the potential for a great value purchase.

11 years ago 0