Hazelburn 14 Year Oloroso Cask Matured

SPRINGBANK SPAWN SHOWDOWN Springbank Green 12-Year Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask Springbank 12-Year x Hazelburn 14-Year Frankenstein Edition There I was at the end of a long day: encamped in the sunroom, feet propped up on a teak table, enjoying the fading pastel colors of a sunset harbor, and thinking about the Springbank Green 12-Year I had started writing notes on a few days prior. I walked to my bar and secured it along with a Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask (it also being a Springbank) and carried both bottles back, first removing the Springbank Green from its darker green box and pouring its pale late-sun yellow into a clear Glencairn glass. Looking out over the water, I nonchalantly removed the Hazelburn from its stubborn grey box and began pouring it into the second glass. Except it wasn’t the second glass. It was the first. I’d sacrilegiously comingled two beautiful and pure single malts into some seemingly grotesque spawn, and loudly cursed the stupidity of my (sober) error. Mortlach has its “Beast of Dufftown,” and I suddenly possessed my “Campbeltown Frankenstein.” I confessed my sin and contemplated an appropriate penance. Which was: I’d just have to drink it. Thinking about my predicament, I recalled that the bourbon world had their so-called “infinity” bottles, which are in essence the dregs of every empty bottle someone has ever drunk. Why they’re called “infinity” I have no idea, other than the fact that they’re infinitely bad. I recalled that I’d tried starting my own infinity bottle back in the day, but the end result tasted worse than White Dog—both types. Carrying these mixed thoughts to their logical origin, I stumbled upon the realization that it’s actually the Scots who lay claim to the notion of “infinity” bottles: they’ve been doing it for over two centuries, and they call it Blended Scotch Whisky. They even package it in pretty blue bottles and charge an enormous premium for the privilege of hiding the e150 from the naked eye. In this way so-called “Master Blenders” have duped legions of connoisseurs for decades. Yet I myself had just become a Master Blender from the comfort of my own couch. My penance was a pittance: the Springbank Green 12-Year x Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask “Campbeltown Frankenstein” was actually pretty damn good. As expected, its color was halfway between the pale straw Springbank Green and the dark mahogany Hazelburn Oloroso. The nose was wonderful, with raisiny notes from the Hazelburn, orange oil and grass notes from the Springbank, and some roasted candied peanuts and sweet crème brûlée. The palate was oily, with salt and a faint hint of the peanut brittle aspect that I associate with Springbank. The finish was long, with expected sherry notes, honey, Snickers bar, some cooling mint, and a smokiness that is neither present in the Green or the Hazelburn. While at first I feared a Frankenstein, fortune flummoxed that fate. The sweetness and smoke initially reminded me of Talisker Distiller’s Edition, or perhaps Talisker 18, and I walked back to the bar to get both, and poured a bit of each to check. The Talisker DE was too peaty on the nose, but the 18 is softer, and the comparison was somewhat apt—though the 18’s finish is gently peaty whereas the Frankenstein is smoke. It’s worth noting that in the kiln, Springbank’s malted barley gets 6 hours of peat smoke and 30 hours of hot air, which gives it a subtle smokiness. Hazelburn gets no peat smoke; but the combination of the two exacerbates the smoke from the Springbank Green. Would I blend it again? I’ll pray for such a happy accident, but the scarcity of these two parents makes the foray cost prohibitive. Absent that, the answer is: yes. In fact, I’d bottle and resell it. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. Springbank Green 12-Year Bright and pale straw color. Penetrating nose carries aromas of honey, orange oil, honeysuckle, sweet hay, pear, candied lemon, strawberries and cream, pineapple upside-down cake, very light peat smoke. The palate is subtly oily, with more fruitiness, finishing with spicy chilies and a lingering strawberries and vanilla cream note above a subtle smokiness. The Springbank Green 12-Year has a certain purity to it: uncolored, it is focused, with a fruity and natural earthiness in a farm-to-table sort of way. Its artisanality adds a romantic quality. This whisky can be found online for $500-1,000, due to its dwindling scarcity. Would I buy it again? Not at those prices, but unequivocally yes at whatever the price was that I paid for it. Very, very good. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 46% ABV. No e150 coloring. Non chill filtered. Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask Dark mahogany color. Raisins and sweet dates leap from the glass, along with pralines, fresh peppercorns, molasses, cocoa powder, smoked meat, orange chocolates, and demerara sugar. The rush of sweetness continues on the palate, with some alcohol on the back end. The finish is long, with a not unpleasant rubbery petrol, cumin, mole sauce, cinnamon, chocolate, and the smoked meat that was present on the nose all combining for a symphonic encore. Delicious. It’s hard to not be influenced by the artisanal aspects of Springbank. They do everything on site. And why should one ignore it? With vertical integration, they control the entire process, which highlights craftsmanship as well as quality. This Hazelburn expression can be found online for $400-600+. Would I buy it again? Yes (at the much lower price that I paid), which is the case with any Springbank. Absolutely delicious. 4.5+ on the Distiller scale. 49.3% ABV. No e150 coloring. Non chill filtered. 9,600 bottles. Distilled October 2004; bottled February 2019. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

HAZELBURN SHOWDOWN Hazelburn 8-Year Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask Hazelburn is a brand distilled by Springbank. While I’ve reviewed the Hazelburn 14 previously (April 21, 2022), I have yet to review the 8-year offering. I love the Hazelburn 14, and I love Springbank, so let’s see how the 8-year-old compares. Hazelburn 8-Year Clear, light Pantone 129. Fruity nose shows an effusive cornucopia of dried apricots, an Oban-like pear nectar, wet hay, apples, peach cobbler, a little pineapple, and salt. A little oily and mouthcoating on the palate; the fruits appear initially, and are followed with a honeyed sweetness. The finish begins with white pepper spice, a Springbank peanut-brittle note that I usually notice, and some drying tannins on a long finish, along with a slight smoky element—even though this is a completely unpeated whisky, as is the case with all Hazelburn. The nose is initially reserved, but with patience becomes quite fruity. The slight smokiness is unusual for the lack of peat, and the drying finish detracts from the overall experience. The general effect is a little rustic. This is a whisky that opens up with air, and becomes significantly better after 20 minutes or so. It looks like this can be found online for ~$200. I paid less than half that a few years back; the high price is due to its scarcity. Would I buy it again? Not at the price it’s commanding now (if it can be found), but I’m very glad that I have own a bottle. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. 46% ABV. 5,100 bottles produced. Unpeated; non-chill filtered; no added coloring. Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask The sherry-influenced color is analogous to a clear Pantone 160. Nose shows raisins, brown sugar, prunes, hazelnuts, toffee, some bacon fat, cocoa, and that Springbank peanut brittle. Beautiful palate in terms of both mouthfeel and taste, with more dark fruits, and a sweet and savory component like fig paste on prosciutto. White pepper spiciness, and again, that Springbank peanut brittle on the finish, along with some smoke and a lighter version of the drying tannins that I experienced with the 8-Year bottling. I love this whisky. And what’s not to like? It is very complex, with sweet, salty, and smoky notes, buttressed by a relatively high ABV. I didn’t get the tannic notes that I’m experiencing now on my previous review. Easy 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 49.3% ABV. Distilled October 2004; bottled February 2019; 9,900 bottles produced. Non-chill filtered; no added coloring. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Hazelburn 14-Year Oloroso Cask Matured ("Olo") was born in October 2004 in Campbeltown, Scotland, one of 9,889 identical siblings. Olo spent a lot of its time resting in oak barrels before being selected to continue relaxing in Oloroso sherry casks for many weeks. At the age of 14 years and 4 months, Olo celebrated what some might call a Bar Mitzvah of sorts in February 2019, entering the world of adulthood in its own glass bottle embossed with "Springbank Distillery" on its shoulder. Having switched barrels in its youth--which no doubt contributed to its wanderlust--Olo voyaged across the Atlantic to the United States, where it waited patiently in a distributor's warehouse before making it to a coveted store shelf, awaiting selection by an appreciative owner. In time a potential owner did in fact saunter by, and somewhat begrudgingly agreed to its acquiescence (on credit). On November 4, 2025, after being savored by its same owner over a period of five years, Olo passed away peacefully somewhere in coastal Connecticut, ensconced in a hand-blown glass befitting the occasion, and surrounded by scores of compatriots old and young from all regions of its homeland, as well as distant kin from Kentucky, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Japan. It is unknown if its sibling diaspora have been notified, or if they even remain. While friends described Olo as dark, they also remembered it as sweet, smoky, fruity, meaty, and even nutty and pecan-like; some would even smirkingly call it hazelnut. Olo was good-natured, and was the butt of many a schoolboy prank; friends would lure others to it with promises of "sugar" and "dates," only to find homographs (not that there's anything wrong with that). More than one referred to Olo as having a Springbank peanut-brittleness, and a few even called him Peaty--a moniker his close family would eye-rollingly publicly rebuke. Olo is survived by Hazelburn 10, Hazelburn 8-Year Sherry Wood, Hazelburn 21, and many close cousins from the Springbank and Longbow clans. Olo will be sorely missed, and after a long journey awash in other oxidanes will return to the Atlantic and eternal rest.

“Another Saturday Night” and this time I am home. Catch-22 on Hulu. Winds are sweeping. So, I shall pure myself this Cambletown malt which was sampled to me by longtime whisky friend @PBMichiganWolverine. This was triple distilled, bottled at a sold 49.3% and aged in French Oloroso casks for 14 years (if my facts are sound). Sounds clean and sweet. A nice Burnt Sienna color in the glass. There’s an introductory light Demerara sugar nose. Raisins, over-ripened plumbs, pecans, cinnamon and worn, aged leather. Behind the sweet and fruit is an earthy dampness: petrichor. The palate is prickly and sweet. White pepper, tobacco (an unsmoked cigar) and ginger provide the prickly nature. Maple syrup, milk chocolate, vanilla and salted caramels provides the sweetness. There is a seesaw of prickly to sweet and back to prickly as you keep chewing and swishing. The flavors are all packaged in a medium body. The palate remains tingly for a spell and softens. Orange peel, leather, caramels, blueberries wrapped into a charcoaled woodiness which fades to a long oaky dryness with traces of tobacco. This dram has an interplay of fruit, sweet and gentle spice, through all the stages changes yet remains the same. This Hazelburn has one of the more complicated finishes. A solid, full flavorful whisky. [90/100][Tasted: 6/15/16]

Nose - springbank funk well placed with the lovely sherry notes, jam, perhaps a white chocolate, Taste - Oloroso and springbank funk. I know that's a simple statement but it's such a wonderful way to think about this one. Touch of chocolate, touch of vanilla, oak (much more noticeable than the 13 year, I only had the one of 12,000 bottles which I believe was the 2017 bottling). This is a great whisky, really special. Also rumor is this is the last of these "older" casks, hope it's not true but it's a pretty reliable source so buy a second if you see it. Anyway my tongue is fried for the week. I'll get back to reviews friday night.

I bought this bottle with me while doing a farm stay this long weekend in PA Amish country. The nights seem here cooler than just a few hours east in NJ/NYC, and that combined with sitting around a fire pit at night looking at the crystal clear skies would probably make any pour idyllic. Sooty and sweet is probably the best words to describe this. It has the classic sooty backbone of Cambeltown, but a really strong sweet taste, from the full Oloroso matured. Environment has a lot to factor into any taste. I’ll have to repeat this pour in much more normal settings and see if my opinion changes. But for now, a solid 4+