Hazelburn 10yo

The Maker

Hazelburn is one of the three brands housed at the much coveted Springbank distillery in Campbeltown. The internet is full of reviews and articles praising Springbank so there is no need for me to write another one. Instead it suffices to say that the family run business is easily one of the most desired scotches there is, and that they have earnt this reputation through the production of some very good whisky!

The name Hazelburn is derived from a long lost Campbeltown distillery built in 1825. Just to confuse things further this original distillery was actually called Rieclachan. When the name was changed has become somewhat murky in the age of the internet, however what is known about Rieclachan is that it specialised in unpeated, triple distilled malt whisky.

This is much closer to the Irish style of whisky production than that which dominated the scotch industry at the time - and through to today. This difference offered Rieclachan a point of uniqueness at a time when Campbeltown was the effective capital of the Scottish whisky industry. It also offered a strong nod to the fact that Campbeltown is just a short ferry ride from Ireland, meaning that people and culture have long been interlinked, and the whisky was well suited to meeting that market's expectations.

Despite this the controlling company went out of business in 1921 and the distillery, now formally known as Hazelburn, was bought by J&A Mitchell - the owners of Springbank. Sadly they were not able to keep the business going during what was then a difficult period for whisky production between the world wars. As a result the distillery was closed in 1925 and was swiftly demolished.

From then on Hazelburn became little but a memory and footnote in scotch whisky history until Springbank resurrected the brand in 1997. Much like how Springbank treated the resurrection of Longrow before it, bringing back Hazelburn meant that it had to be more than just the name. Springbank also wanted to restore the legacy. To achieve this the new Hazelburn would be true to the roots of Rieclachan by also being triple distilled and unpeated. Instead of using peat, Springbank air-dry the barley over several days. These points combine to give Hazelburn a distinctive flavour profile when contrasted against Longrow, Springbank and Kilkerran (also made by the Springbank team at a distillery next-door).

As with all things Springbank related, Hazelburn can be tricky to get hold of, especially in the UK. There is the 10yo reviewed here which is their core product. Then there is an annual sherry release, and finally a 21yo.

The Expression

As mentioned above this is the core range 10yo. It is always 100% ex-bourbon matured and delivered with integrity at 46% without colourings or chill-filtration. The retail price is £55 ($73USD) if you can find it. I could not, so I picked this bottle up at auction for £68 ($90USD) including fees & postage in early 2025. Taking the fees off that the flipper made about £5. Hopefully they will drink the next one they get hold of as in the time since, all the entry level Springbank products have become much more available in the UK - due to the ramped up production Springbank began in the early 2020s.

The Neck Pour

There is instant complexity on the nose. Lots of serial notes, but it is also very nutty with a good dose of oil. The oiliness is so thick that it is not too far away from a light peat - I guess that is the famous 'funk'. For ten years of age there is a lot going on here initially. The only thing I have had like this is a Daftmill. This is not as complex as that, but it is heading in that direction.

Similar on the palet. It reminds me of the Ballechin 18yo I reviewed a few months back in terms of the ex-bourbon intensity. But it is delivering that at a far lesser age. Beyond that there is lots of simpler honey and vanilla char. In other words this is complex, yet simple. Accessible, yet also rewarding. A good first impression.

The Body

Still lots of cereal notes after six months on the shelf. Yet it is edging sweeter on the nose. Barley sugar is now asserting itself, along with a yeasty, vegetable like note in the place of that peat-like oil. This is followed by deeper notes of oak and a hint of leather. So far as the nose is concerned it is getting a bit like a stately home.

The palate is a lot less developed than the nose. It is still very nice. Still clearly ex-bourbon with those standard flavours, but it is not going to blow your socks off. Instead it remains very clean, and very drinkable - with just a hint of tropical fruit on the finish.

Final Thoughts

The cereal still dominates the nose. There has not been significant change over the second half of the bottle. This is not that surprising given how much it opened up in the first half.

The palate has now caught up a bit, with vegetable stock and tropical fruit (coconut if I had to name it) coming in with the sweetness of the barley sugar. That vegetable stock note adds to that funk on the nose, but for me that is a lot less pronounced that it has felt in some other releases - such as the Springbank 10yo.

All things considered this is a very good dram. The fact it is triple distilled does strip out a lot of the texture I tend to like in scotch. But it is definitely batting above its weight in terms of age statement. One day I might be lucky enough to try some of the other versions, but with the Springbank market somewhat cooling of late I seem to have more of an opportunity now than I have had in years.