It’s considered the greatest inventory of aged Scotch whisky in the world. The Gordon family – the household behind William Grant & Sons, which is home to brands such as Glenfiddich and The Balvenie – has been laying down their own casks for almost a century. Since the Roaring Twenties, they’ve acted as custodians of some of the most precious liquids ever distilled. And now, they offer up some of these exceptional casks for blending each year, with the rare creations crafted from them sold under the House of Hazelwood banner.
Since 2022, the creator has been releasing collections of exquisite blends, blended malts, blended grains and single grains, each with its own intricate narrative and character. Complexities of aroma and flavour are transportative, one evocative dram taking you to a windswept Scottish moor with its moss and rock, another to an enchanting summer garden at dusk. The interplay between each note, each painterly stroke that builds up a masterpiece, is profound. And now, House of Hazelwood is back with its 2024 collection.
The eight expressions in the latest release are divided into two sub-groups. The Charles Gordon Collection is named after the man who led the family business for decades in the 20th century. It comprises some of the rarest whiskies in the family reserves, with every cask aged for at least 40 years. Meanwhile the Legacy Collection is forward-looking: these are some of the more spirited releases from the inventory, bottled for future generations to enjoy. The energies of both collections are distinct but there’s a fundamental, uniting element: the sheer quality of the whiskies.
Each is hand-selected and crafted by a small group including blender Eilidh Muir, alongside family members and directors of the business. Working from cask samples and led by their senses, their collective vision brings these astonishing whiskies to life. ‘Our goal is to uncover the hidden gems, the unusual flavours and parcels of whiskies that we think are exceptional within the family’s collection,’ Muir says.
One overarching philosophy defines her work: a whisky is only ready when it’s ready. ‘Variety is also an essential element. We don’t stipulate that we need to create a set number of blends or blended malts or grains,’ says Muir. Travel emerged as a key theme when blending this time around, she explains. A thread that runs through even the rarest expressions in the collection.
Perhaps the scarcest of them all in the 2024 line-up, and part of the Charles Gordon Collection, is The Last Trace. This 58-year-old blended malt, matured in two American white oak casks for almost six decades, yielded just 65 bottles. It’s a true moment in time captured in spirit and oak. Then there’s blended malt The Garden at Hazelwood, a riot of florals and greenery, aged for 47 years. The 45-year-old heavily-sherried blended Scotch Minute to Midnight is as darkly indulgent as it is expressive, while The Old Ways is an astonishingly vibrant 45-year-old single grain.
The Legacy Collection opens with 33-year-old blended Scotch The Hazelwood Highlander, a bucolic delight of hay fields and orchard fruit, which is joined by 36-year-old Queen of the Hebrides, a heavily-peated blended malt that still retains a regal elegance. The Silk Traveller is a 44-year-old dram that’s wildly labyrinthine, full of spice and adventure; while The Transatlantic, a 33-year-old blended grain, is a luxurious take on liquid Americana with its bourbon-like character.
How challenging is it to work with whiskies of this calibre? After all, it’s not every day that stocks like this land on a blender’s desk. ‘Naturally, because House of Hazelwood whiskies all see 30-years-plus maturation, there is a lot going on with the liquid, so it’s about making the decision as to whether we release it as a blended malt, blended grain or a blend – which then dictates what journey the whisky takes,’ Muir says. ‘A key skill is ensuring that each component shines through and balancing their flavours. This is a skill that has passed down through the generations of blenders and custodians of the whisky – it’s both an art and a science, so not something you can easily quantify.’
This is perhaps the most surprising element of House of Hazelwood. Through the craft of blending, each expression brings a whole new dimension to the spirit – and none will ever be repeated. Scarcity, art, creativity – this is whisky at its most remarkable.
The House of Hazelwood’s third collection is available exclusively to order online here and at select luxury retailers in the UK. The 2024 Collection will be rolled out to international markets throughout 2024, including Germany, Italy, France, and Taiwan, with the US and other parts of Asia to follow in 2025.
House of Hazelwood 2024 Collection tasting notes
The Old Ways
Rich and sumptuous with old books, leather, deep caramel, dark florals, Turkish delight and aromatic nutmeg on the nose. A thick, oily, waxy texture holds potpourri floral notes alongside jammy hedgerow berries, with crisp rhubarb cutting through. The finish is long with lingering, dusty florals.
50.1% ABV, £3,500
The Transatlantic
The nose is fresh and lively with citrus peels giving way to buttered popcorn, jam doughnuts and strawberries and cream, with a soft oaky note. The palate is remarkably creamy and milk chocolatey, but with a zip of green apple. There’s more of that toastiness alongside ice cream wafer, hay and subtle sweet spices. Medium to long with a lingering sweet creaminess.
57.3%, £1,300
The Hazelwood Highlander
Initially quite light, baskets of orchard fruits emerge complete with the aroma of wicker and fresh linen. There’s a subtle greenness in with red berries. The orchard fruits are even more pronounced on the palate, alongside quince jam, golden syrup, cinnamon, pear drop sweets and cardamom. The medium-to-long finish has a gentle touch of cardamom.
45.8%, £1,200
The Silk Traveller
Stewed pineapple immediately leaps from the glass alongside plums, aniseed, fennel, zaatar, sesame, neroli and other perfumed florals, with a hint of mint tea. The palate is leathery – like apple saddle soap – with dusty old books, sawdust, cumin, more plums and spearmint – which becomes earthy leather on the finish, with a lingering leafiness.
47.6%, £1,500
The Garden at Hazelwood
An abundance of florals – rose, geranium, magnolia. There’s a stalkiness too with tomato leaf and a herbal element. Hedgerow berries arrive later. Parma violets are initially very apparent, ahead of cut grass, sage, oregano and more mintiness. It’s all wrapped up in a round, plummy, almost waxy texture. Florals show a surprising longevity on the finish.
43.7%, £4,500
A Minute to Midnight
An array of deep, perfumed spices arrive on the nose: very incense-like with hazelnuts, old leather sofas, cigar tobacco, a dark earthiness and lots of oak. A sweetness emerges with dark chocolates, dates, plums, and deep wood spices. There’s a savoury element at the very end. The finish is incredibly long with the wood spices and sweetness drifting in an intricate interplay.
58.6%, £4,000
Queen of the Hebrides
Initially distant bonfire smoke builds into a phenolic haze of bacon, charcoal and a touch of kerosene. Orange peel, cinnamon and apple build in sweetness. The smoke is even bigger on the palate, but it turns aromatic with more of a cigar-like leaning. Herbaceous qualities emerge, alongside subtle notes of mint and cola cube sweets. Incredibly long and increasingly oaky.
43.4%, £2,000
