Whisky Connosr
Menu
Shop Join

Hazelburn 2003 / 13 Year Old / Sherry Wood

Spicy, Salty Berries

6 088

@RianCReview by @RianC

3rd May 2019

0

  • Nose
    ~
  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
    ~
  • Balance
    ~
  • Overall
    88

Show rating data charts

Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Matured in oloroso casks for 13 years this is one of 9000 bottles released last year under the Hazelburn name - Hazelburn being the triple distilled whisky made at Springbank.

Review is neat but has sat for a good 25 minutes, and the bottle is just under half full having been open a few months.

Nose - Dunnage musty notes and a big sherry hit right off the bat. There's some leather and spicy oak with nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. Tonight I'm getting lots of fresh red berries and summer fruits alongside some salty 'funk' that lets you know it's from the Springbank family.

Taste - It has a lovely and soft, yet rich mouthfeel. There's more salt, red liquorice, dark plums, a little nuttiness and that damp earth note again. Despite the sherry influence the base malt flavour still comes through as it develops.

Finish - Quite long with a wisp of smoke appearing along with some ever so slightly dry tannin notes and more of those spices.

Worth noting that this is one of those chameleon type whiskys, in that every pour gives a slightly different experience. Sometimes it leans to the sweet sherry side, other times more towards the leather, musty funk range.

This has been my first Hazelburn and I'd like to try this alongside the standard 10 to see how they compare. My feeling is that the sherry casks will have swamped the experience somewhat but that doesn't detract this from being a fine example of a contemporary sherry 'bomb'. As sherried whiskys go this is very enjoyable and I like the tell-tale funk that comes off of it, along with the salty, slightly peaty tang that sits in the background.

Related Hazelburn reviews

0 comments

You must be signed-in to comment here

Sign in