Review by: dustbunna
I have a mixed relationship with J&A Mitchell– specifically, whiskies matured in sherry casks from their portfolio. I enjoy Springbank and its variations in bourbon casks pretty consistently, but there’s something about their choice of sherry casks that always come across to me as a bit too far to the ‘dirty’ side of what’s possible in sherry maturation. What I sense, again and again, is sulfur, ranging widely in intensity and style from gunpowder to matchsticks to eggs– I seem to have a decently high tolerance for sulfur, and occasionally it works in their spirit, but unfortunately not consistently so. That makes each sherry-matured Springbank fun to try in isolation (maybe a sample here, a bar pour there), but I tend to be a bit shy about pulling the trigger on a full bottle.
My experience so far has been similar between sherried Springbanks and Longrows, but having never before tried Hazelburn (their unpeated, triple-distilled spirit) I wanted to see if it would strike a better chord for me. This series of fully-matured Oloroso yearly releases came to me highly recommended, so I decided to give the distillery one more go in full sherry maturation– crossing my fingers that if sulfur was present, it would not take over the entire conversation in the glass.
Distillery: Springbank.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Campbeltown.
ABV: 47.1%.
Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2003. Bottled in 2017.
Cask type: Ex-Oloroso sherry.
Price: $109 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 6 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: really good strawberry jam, roasted flowers (no that’s not a thing), a hint of coal smoke, toffee, caramelized orange peel, dead leaves.
Palate: thick ~ rubber, mint, more red fruit jam and dead leaves, a bit of jet exhaust, the slightly sour/nutty/oxidized taste of actual Oloroso sherry.
Finish: medium-long ~ mint leads off, followed by some distinctly Campbeltown funk, even more dead leaves, wintergreen, pool chemicals, orange pith, Oloroso follows through, some of the jet fumes poke through.
Conclusion: Sulfur is definitely a part of the profile here. However, uncharacteristically for Springbank– at least in my limited experience– it’s extremely well-integrated and lends some really nice complexity to the whisky. Even though this is fully matured in sherry casks, there’s plenty of character from the distillate (as well as a great mouthfeel from the triple distillation, similar to Benrinnes.) At the same time, this is also the first Oloroso-matured whisky I’ve tried that reminds me of drinking Oloroso itself, with those distinct nutty and sour notes on the palate. Over time, the jet-fume element threatens to overtake some of the nicer subtleties, but stays mostly in check.
This Hazelburn is probably my favorite sherried whisky from the Springbank core ranges so far, and it keeps things interesting and engaging each time I sip it. I think it’s unlikely I’ll find another bottle at the same price, so I probably will not replace this; more broadly it feels like too much of a gamble for my palate to keep exploring sherry maturation from the distillery with full bottle purchases. That said, I should really go see if I can find some Hazelburn 10 or some of the non-sherry single casks, because I find this style of spirit quite delicious and am interested in trying it in the context of other kinds of maturation.
Final Score: 85.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 