The world of whisky is often navigated by a simple ‘age statement’; a number that determines the minimum length of time the whisky in the bottle has been slumbering in cask. The age is seen by many as a guide to the tapestry of tastes hidden within; the older the whisky, the greater the richness. With time come flavours of spice, leather, oak and dried fruits. Or so is the assumption.
Yet some whiskies of great age and complexity can carry vibrant, fresh notes that surprise with their brightness and lightness. These are far from the warming, wintry drams many expect, instead offering drinkers something special for the summer months, when the whiskies’ characteristics shine with the sun.
One such example is the 37-year-old Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, A Breath of Fresh Air, in the latest set of releases from House of Hazelwood. This bottling brings together grain whiskies from across Scotland that have matured for nearly four decades. Combined, they are of unmatched character and transport the drinker into a lush, verdant, fresh landscape that captures a cloudless afternoon in Speyside.
An impressive feat of whisky-making, just 417 bottles of A Breath of Fresh Air are available, crafted from the private cask archive of one of Scotland’s most important and influential families.
The formidable whisky stock is the perfect treasure trove in which to find rare gems that show off all aspects of extreme maturation
That family is the Gordons, who have a resounding legacy in the world of distilled drinks and, as the owners of William Grant and Sons, have built up a formidable stock of well-aged whisky, much of which has been hidden away for over half a century. It is the perfect treasure trove in which to find rare gems that show off all aspects of extreme maturation, from rich and rounded to light and lithe.
The remarkable expressions, created from the greatest stocks of aged Scotch whisky in the world, have found a home in House of Hazelwood, the Gordons’ latest venture. Opening their private archive of special casks for anyone to enjoy but insisting that products are only released when the whiskies are deemed ready, this series of rare bottlings has taken its name from the Gordon family home, located in Scotland’s famous whisky-soaked Speyside region. House of Hazelwood is a signal of the family’s intention to allow whisky lovers to experience the depth and breadth of this live archive of rare Scotch whiskies.
A Breath of Fresh Air showcases the lighter side of Scotch, confounding the usual expectations of an aged whisky with mint and tropical fruit flavours that make it perfect for sipping in summer sunshine.
As you might expect from such an impressive inventory, all sides of Scotch whisky are celebrated in the House of Hazelwood collection. Famous Scotch smoky notes are present in A Trail of Smoke (42 Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky), while The Unknown (44-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky) boasts antique elements of rich leather and spices – both are more than 40 years of age. It is in the collection’s Sunshine on Speyside (39-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky), however, that the rare combination of long maturation and a lightness of touch is again apparent.
This expression, at 39 years old, is astonishingly bright in the glass and, as a Blended Malt, is the perfect partner to A Breath of Fresh Air, carrying notes of fresh pineapple, charred fruit and old-fashioned sweet shops, with a zesty, fresh overtone. These two whiskies, one malt and one grain, are remarkable examples of a rarely seen, fresher side of Scotch whisky-making.
As part of House of Hazelwood’s intelligently curated collection, the diverse range of flavours that Scotch whisky can offer is revealed, and no two whiskies in the range are the same. Existing as true expressions of the distiller’s intention, House of Hazelwood’s extraordinary liquids show aged whisky can indeed be a dram for all seasons.
