House of Hazelwood 18 yo

If you’ve flown recently, you might have noticed a new range sold exclusively on Travel Retail by the name of “House Of Hazelwood”. This is a new range created by W.Grant & Sons.

House of Hazelwood is inspired by Janet Sheed Roberts (1901-2012), a Grant family member, and her “rich and vibrant” life. She lived in Hazelwood House, an art-deco property close The Glenfiddich distillery, with the brand created to evoke the 1920s, both a “heyday” for Scotch drinking, and the wider worlds of theater, fashion and design. Three expressions are available in the line : an 18-year-old, inspired by Paris in the 1920s; a 21-year-old, drawing on references from Mumbai; and a 25-year-old, with Shanghai a central theme. All three whiskies feature Girvan and Kininvie prominently – both distilleries “close to the heart” of Roberts’ – as well as liquid from the family’s private collection. So, essentially this is a higher-end Blended whisky. Interesting. The 18 year old which is the most affordable costs about 50 quid for a 0.5 Liter bottle. Whisky wise,  the 18 yo expression  of wand Girvan spirits  , married in Portuguese oak tuns before being bottled. Interesting. The bottle looks lovely, now let’s have a look inside shall we?

Conclusion: This is a delicious  blend indeed, the Girvan grain is quite dominant, giving it the vanilla / bourbon and sweet maple-y notes, with the Kininvie adding to the depth. This is a very easy drinking whisky, highly enjoyable. If you appreciate middle aged single grain, with a twist, you’ll like this whisky. Well blended, and harmonious. Good work by W.Grant. Would make a great gift when passing through the duty free shop, to being back home to a friend who appreciates whisky. Elegant and sweet-woody. Bingo. Blended whisky is fun.