Hazelburn Sauternes Wood Finish 8 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

A new expression from Hazelburn (Springbank) matured for 5 years in Refill Bourbon Casks and 3 years in Sauternes Casks. It's described by the distillers as "...Warm and embracing: homemade Seville orange marmalade on a buttered, toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel. Orange liqueur, burnt demerara sugar, treacle, honey, figs and dates emerge from the sidelines as the aromas develop...". By several accounts it's incredibly flavourful for a young whisky and going by the stellar quality of many of Springbank's 'Wood Finished' whiskies, this is unlikely to disappoint.

Distilled June 2002. Bottled Feb 2011. 9180 bottles produced.

Tasting note: The brilliant burnished copper colour is a pleasure to behold. Sensuous aromas offer powerful scents of honey drizzled cereals, barley sugar and cocoa. With aeration a burst of fresh dried apricots leaps out of the glass; meanwhile the most delicate peat(?) lingers almost indiscernibly underneath giving a roasted chestnut edge to the whole profile that's more lanolin-like after 10 minutes. Wonderful complexity. Entry is soft and glycerous, building in concentration as the sweet Sauternes competes with huge spices. Excellent sweet / bitter balance. Raisin, dark chocolate, barley sugar and toasty oak are eclipsed by very dry, super fine tannins and spice; Finishes with tremendous length as the honeycomb/spice/cocoa theme plays out to the end. This, together with the stunning Claret wood tasted a year ago (and others) reaffirms Springbank as the present day masters of wood finished whisky. 55.9% Alc./Vol.

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