Campbeltown Christmas Carols, part 3: Hazelburn 10 yo. Springbank’s ‘overlooked’ expression?

Christmas is imminent and it’s everywhere, even at Malty Towers, and this will indeed be the final blogpost of 2024. A week from now, I’ll be curled up under a blanket, watching cheesy Christmas movies with the kids, who’ll probably still be on some sort of Christmas rush after all the presents and sugary pastries while I’ll likely be regretting the unavoidable  ‘death by turkey overload’ from the previous day, unaware of time as actual daylight is something that happens to Australians this time of year and also because  the days between Christmas and new year tend to be some sort of twilight zone/limbo within the space-time continuum and no-one really knows what’s what anymore until your brother in law figures out it’s time to start the countdown to ring in the new year.

Ending this series on Campbeltown whiskies, I figured why not roll with Hazelburn. It’s actually the only of the Campbeltown whiskies I have yet to cover and discuss on these pages, so talking a bit about Hazelburn  after 5 years and 214 reviews is probably overdue and then some. Me neglecting Hazelburn might well be exemplary of how we sometimes tend to  overlook Springbank’s triple distilled expression, as often we get carried away raving about how great Springbank, Longrow and /or Kilkerran tend to be. It’s understandable, but probably doesn’t do Hazelburn justice. The fact that it’s triple distilled does make it the lighter of the 3 SB expressions, as that third run through the stills might make it less recognisable as a typically funky Campbeltown malt, perhaps?

I know I’m cutting a few corners here, stating that triple distilled would automatically mean a ‘lighter’ style of whisky. It’s of course, not as straightforward as that. ‘Smoothness’ generally speaking comes down to how much and which congeners make it through into a new make spirit. Congeners are flavour compounds that tend to be created by the yeast during fermentation. There are hundreds of the little buggers, and some add tasty flavours to a spirit, some much less so. How much and which of these make it through to the spirit, depends on the cut points in the distillation process and also in no small matter on reflux during that distillation. Slow distilling and long necks = a lot of reflux =  a lighter style of spirit, so in that way it makes sense that distilling 3 times would make for more reflux and lighter new make spirit. Again, this is cutting some corners, so please read this as  the bare essentials of distilling 101.

Hazelburn is typically made with air dried, unpeated malt and unless they changed this in recent years, I was always under the impression that  - despite Springbank having 3 stills - the triple distillation takes place using just two stills. Just like Longrow, Hazelburn takes its name from a long lost Campbeltown distillery (which seized operation in the 1920’s) and was first released almost 20 years ago – in 2005 – as an 8 year old.

Hazelburn 10 yo. 46% ABV, bourbon cask matured. 2022 release. App. €65 - €80

So why did it take so long for me to actually get to reviewing Hazelburns current core range expression? A lot comes down to availability, actually. 80% of what is produced at Springbank is used to make, well, Springbank, while the remaining 20% are equally divided between the heavily peated Longrow and the ‘lighter’, unpeated Hazelburn. What that means in actual LPA is that while each year roughly 210,000 litres of Springbank new make is produced, Hazelburn and Longrow need to ‘make do’ with just 25,000 LPA each – that’s less than half of what comes out of Daftmill.

So I’m by no means exaggerating when I say that Hazelburn doesn’t exactly come in abundant supply. When I stumbled across one a month or so ago, I felt I needed to give it a new home – it’s the Christmassy thing to do after all…

Nose

An inviting combo of floral notes, sourness  and sweetness. Something on the crossing point between sweet melons, pear drops, gentle honey and a whiff of sugar countered by citrus notes and something reminiscent of violets. There’s a very subtle touch of wood spices and  wood bitterness, with just a dash of the Campbeltown savoury funk in the form of cheese and sweet bacon. It suggests a dry whisky, quite busy, but also crisp and ‘light’.  Give it plenty of time (20 to 30 minutes) and the fruity notes become more prominent.

Palate

Crisp and clean arrival. Subtle and balanced with again that woody bitterness sitting against citrus fruit and a shy savoury  - funky touch. There’s still sweeter elements, but they’re by no means as clear cut or obvious as the nose suggested. The texture is light and somewhat dry.

Finish

Gentle bitterness, some pepper and dry.

Final thoughts

A delicate,  almost understated dram. It has that signature Campbeltown funk, but only in the subtlest of ways, making itself known and present as a bit of a ‘fille rouge’ throughout it all, tying together all the other notes that surround it. One of those whiskies that could be sipped casually, but only when you give it its due time and attention, it unravels what it really has to offer as it takes you on a flavour journey. A lighter, bourbon cask matured whisky might not be what most of us tend to reach for this time of year, but this one really merits repeated visits. 85/100

And that’ s a wrap for 2024. It’s been fun and wonderful and I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 5 years already?! Frankly,  I’m humbled by some of the utterly brilliant whiskies I was able to taste thanks to the community. Let’s see what the new year brings. Have a wonderful Holiday Season, and may the best of 2024 proof to be the worst of 2025!