There’s a chance that 10 years ago when the magazine was founded if the name Oracle Time was unavailable, we’d have ended up as some combination of Whisky & Watches. Twin passions that go hand in hand at the pinnacle of luxury. While we’ve stuck with the watches, we haven’t touched a bottle of whisky in a long while. That is, until House of Hazelwood unveiled their fabulous Third Collection, which you can experience through a virtual tasting experience by entering the competition at the bottom of this article.
If you’re unfamiliar, the story behind House of Hazelwood is a fantastic one. For over 100 years the Gordon family in Dufftown, Scotland, carefully curated a private whisky collection containing some of the rarest and most sought after whiskies. Today this collection is regarded as the largest inventory of aged Scotch whiskies in the world. It features casks from across the breadth of Scotland and beyond including exceptional rarities such as renowned’ first and last casks.
In 2022 House of Hazelwood was launched, a whisky brand owned by the Gordons and whose whiskies are sourced entirely from their private collection. As you can imagine, this makes every bottle exceptionally exclusive, released as they are in small batches that are carefully hand selected. For 2024 they’ve released the Third Collection, consisting of eight whiskies inspired by the theme of the Gordon family’s adventuring spirit. The collection is split into two, the Charles Gordon Collection and the Legacy Collection.
Charles Gordon Collection
Charles Gordon, a well-known figure in the Scotch whisky community as well as member of the Gordon family, helped to curate the Hazelwood collection in its early years, as such the collection named after him is dedicated to some of the oldest whiskies in the collection, all aged at least 40 years.
A Minute to Midnight
A heavily sherried malt whisky with an intense sweetness and tasting notes of cinnamon and mulled wine character. It has a very dark colouration, which matches the aroma of dark fruits such as blackberry alongside raspberry and strawberry.
45-year-old, 154 bottles, RRSP £4,000, 58.6% ABV
The Garden at Hazelwood
The Garden at Hazelwood is all about late summer vibes and early autumn harvests from the orchard. This is reflected in the lavender notes on the nose as well as the herbaceous quality on the palate in addition to those orchard fruits.
47-year-old, 137 bottles, RRSP £4,500, 45.8%% ABV
The Last Trace
You can never be certain of the outcome when casking a whisky and The Last Trace comes from a blend of casks with exceptional age and which lost a lot of their volume during the maturing process. Resulting in an extremely exclusive bottling of just 65 bottles that whisky expert Charlie Maclean describes as “one of the most extraordinary whiskies I have ever tasted. It has a creamy feel with a very light sweetness with coconut notes on the nose. It truly is one of a kind.”
58-year-old, 65 bottles, RRSP £6,000, 43.1% ABV
The Old Ways
In the course of the 100 years that the Hazelwood collection was curated methods of distillation have radically changed. In fact, none of the techniques used in the creation of The Old Ways are used by modern distilleries and nor can they be replicated by modern methods. It’s a rich, complex single malt with a palate of sweet sugar like stewed rhubarb and gooseberry.
Distilled in 1972, 123 bottles, RRSP £3,500, 50.1% ABV
Legacy Collection
The second half of the House of Hazelwood Third Collection is the Legacy collection. It’s here that the concepts of blends celebrating the family’s global travels really come to the fore, featuring as it does bottles entitled The Transatlantic, Queen of the Hebrides and The Silk Traveller..
Queen of the Hebrides
Even among House of Hazelwood’s rare inventory, they count those from the isle of Islay, aka the Queen of the Hebrides, as some of their rarest. A blended malt matured in American oak with light tannins and a long finish.
36-year-old, 274 bottles, RRSP £2,000, 43.4% ABV
The Hazelwood Highlander
Bringing together malt and grain whiskies from across the Highlands, the Hazelwood Highlander is an ode to one of the most famous whisky regions in the world. It has a palate of sweetness and orchard fruits with primary notes of apple and pear.
33-year-old, 203 bottles, RRSP £1,200, 45.8% ABV
The Silk Traveller
Inspired by the exotic flavours and scents of the Silk Road, The Silk Traveller is a single grain whisky with hints of spices such as star anise and liquorice. With a profile like this, it’s recommended as an accompaniment to dessert, sweet and perfumed.
44-year-old, 212 bottles, RRSP £1,500, 47.6% ABV
The Transatlantic
Combining traditions of Scotch whisky with American whiskey making, this grain whisky was aged for eight years in virgin American oak casks. On the nose it has the rich scent of buttery popcorn, which translates to sweet, oaky character on the palate.
33-year-old, 291 bottles, RRSP £1,300, 57.3% ABV
Virtual Tasting Competition
Discover the House of Hazelwood Third Collection first hand by entering this competition to win a virtual tasting experience. As part of the experience, you’ll receive a sample set of 25ml of seven of the Third Collection whiskies and be guided through the tasting by one of House of Hazelwood’s experts. Unfortunately, due to its extreme exclusivity, The Last Trace is not part of the tasting. This competition is only available to UK residents and closes on November 29th, 2024, making it the perfect opportunity to win yourself a Christmas treat or offer the experience to your whisky loving friend as a festive gift. Whether you’re new to the whisky scene or a seasoned collector, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
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