Hazelburn 18yo Campbeltown "Virtual" Malts Festival'20...

Hazelburn 18yo Campbeltown "Virtual" Malts Festival'20 (47.4%): The second sample of the Virtual Malts Festival'20 bottlings I will be tasting today is a Hazelburn. It is an 18yo release which was blended from whiskies aged in 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels yielding only 792 bottles in total. So, I believe we are talking about four barrels only here...

Color: Pale yellow, straw color with kinda quick but thick and oily legs.

Nose: Candle wax, lemon pound cake and petrol. Very Riesling-esque in the beginning... Fresh apricots, unripe peaches and gardening soil. The longer I allow it to air the more layered it gets: Peppermint leaves, cookie dough and fresh almonds. Wet gravel, sea spray and mineral water.

Palate: Oh, boy... Creamy, doughy and viscous in spite of its relatively low abv. White chocolate, marzipan and sea salt. Soft baked lemon cookies, coriander seeds and mint jelly. Eucalyptus drops and tarragon.

Finish: Medium with cake batter, oyster brine and white pepper.

Overall: This is a seriously good whisky... It's fruity, mineral and doughy with all kind of subtle coastal references from nose to finish. Incredibly easy to drink and still so refreshing after 18 years in casks. This one would be the one to own a bootle of... Cracker... Thanks again to Ian Sunderland for the sample..!

Price: £100

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