May 2023 - Glenmorangie, Hazelburn & Signatory Vintage

Welcome to May’s subscription Tasting notes and reviews. This month I am going to give each whisky an overall rating out of 10 (purely based on taste), feel free to comment with your scores for each one below and as always, I want to know which was your favourite.

Hazelburn 10

To start off this month’s tasting we have a Hazelburn 10. A single malt Scotch whisky from the Springbank distillery in the Campbeltown region and part of the Hazelburn core range. Triple distilled and unpeated, this whisky is matured in bourbon casks and bottled at a solid 46% ABV. On the nose, Hazelburn 10 greets you with inviting aromas of toffee apples, fresh honey, and fragrant pears with a background aroma of haystacks. Hints of vanilla in add an extra layer of sweetness and depth to the nose. The palate is equally delightful, offering a good mouthfeel and notes of vanilla and blossom again with that background element hay. Underneath, more lively fruit notes come through, adding a bit of needed complexity and depth to the whisky, on the finish there is a very sleight note of peat, much lower than the usual depth of peat exhibited by the Springbank distillery which is nice. The finish is oily and sweet, leaving a satisfying taste in your mouth long after the last sip. Overall, Hazelburn 10 is a well-rounded and balanced whisky that offers a delightful experience for newcomers to the Campbeltown area, but compared to what else Springbank have to offer, this is nothing special. 69/100.

Glenmorangie Milsean

Next we have the Glenmorangie Milsean, this is the seventh edition in Glenmorangie's Private Edition series and is a delightful single malt whisky that is sure to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. I found a few of these in my back collection and I have always wanted to try one of them. Finished for two-and-a-half years in 154 ex-Portuguese-red-wine barriques, this expression is bursting with tropical fruit and lemon sherbet notes that make for an irresistible nose. The palate is equally impressive, with a warm and spicy opening that gives way to a plethora of fruity flavours including cherry, mango, plum, coconut, and ginger. The oily texture adds to the overall smoothness of the whisky and allows those flavours to linger on the tongue afterwards. The finish is medium in length, and while the fruitiness lingers, it is eventually superseded by a pleasant and warming ginger spice. I’m not usually a fan of wine finished whiskies, but this one isn’t too bad – I think the sweetness really makes this a delightful dram: wine casks have contributed to an exceptional amount of fruitiness, making this whisky very sweet. If you like your sweet fruity whiskies then this one will be right up your street, for me, this was enjoyable. 75/100

Signatory Vintage: Speyside 17 (M) Cask #28

And for my final offering this month, I am very excited to present a bottling from Signatory Vintage: Speyside 17 (M). This is a 17-year-old Oloroso sherry-matured Speyside single malt whisky that MAY or may not have come from Macallan. Bottled at a cask strength of 61% ABV, this whisky is not for the faint-hearted. It offers a stunningly dark colour, a testament to the full maturation in 1st fill Oloroso sherry butt. On the nose, you'll find rich and complex aromas of dried fruits, dark chocolate, and spices, with hints of vanilla and oak, typical of many Oloroso sherry matured whiskies. But where this really comes into its own is on the palate, a surprisingly smooth and full-bodied whisky, not what I expected with the 61% cask strength; it is like a liquid dessert, highly moreish, and I cannot emphasise the smoothness of this. You'll get sweet notes of raisins, prunes and dates, balanced with a light spicy kick on the finish. If you can’t handle the strength, then add a few drops of water, it brings out that smoothness even more as well as extra subtleties – and the fact you can water this down makes it such a versatile bottling. While the distillery is a secret… the quality of this whisky speaks for itself. With only 634 bottles produced, this is a rare find that's worth every penny. Overall this is a great whisky, and I will be gutted that I probably wont get my hands on another bottle for a good price. 95/100.