Scotch

Whisky Review: House of Hazelwood The Old Ways 1972 Charles Gordon Collection

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Whisky Review: House of Hazelwood The Old Ways 1972 Charles Gordon Collection

by Beth Whymark
November 27, 2024

Beth, a whisky enthusiast, became Whisky Magazine’s editor (2022-2024) and now works in content marketing for scotch whisky brands.

Tasting Notes:

About:

A single grain whisky that celebrates the long-lost production methods historically used at William Grant & Sons’ Girvan distillery.

Appearance:

Light copper

Nose:

Barley sugar, dried apple rings and crystallized pineapple. Very fresh cereal notes, with some damp greenness of the fields still about them. Golden syrup. Vanilla-infused French toast with powdered sugar. Hints of ground clove, cardamom, and matcha. Sesame seeds, green olive pits and light olive oil. A floral note like marigolds and a very faint hint of chlorine, like a swimming pool.

Palate:

Thick tinned custard, or condensed milk. Rich Tea biscuits. Papaya and passionfruit with honeyed toasted oats and a hint of natural yogurt. Light brown sugar bruleed over ripe pears. Orange gummy candies and leafy strawberries. Fresh focaccia and olive oil. A slight (but not unpleasant) rubbery note.

Finish:

It lasts well, with notes of toffee apple and black tea.

Comments:

This is an excellent example of its style and era: oily, bold, and perfectly balanced between spirit and cask. I wish there were more grain whiskeys around like it.

Beth Whymark

Following six years in regional journalism, Beth entered the world of spirits in 2020 after joining Paragraph Publishing, the company behind Whisky Magazine and the World Whiskies Awards. She was editor of Whisky Magazine from September 2022 to July 2024 and served as one of the publication's tasters. Her current role is in content marketing, working day-to-day with a number of Scotch whisky brands, and she is still reading and writing about and tasting whiskeys from around the world in her spare time.

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