The Lost Estate (House of Hazelwood), 43 YO, 41.6 %
Here’s a very old blended grain whisky, composed of single grain whisky from two long lost Scottish grain distilleries (undisclosed). Matured in American white oak casks, and limited to 564 bottles.
The Lost Estate is available to buy direct from House of Hazelwood online at GBP 1200.
Nose: A deep well of candy sweetness. Milk chocolate at first, then light chocolate mousse. With time, ripe apples and pears emerge alongside warm caramel sauce. Given even more time, there is a mixed assortment of tropical fruits and the hard candy my great-grandmother used to hide in her cupboard and sneak to us youngsters whenever our parents had their backs turned.
Taste: Medium bodied. A little spicier than anticipated, but very well balanced. The sweetness is more fruit-driven now and plays beautifully with the soft spices. Pencil shavings and old mahogany add a drier, more mature dimension.
Finish: Long. Very clean, sweet and well behaved throughout. Mildly herbal, with a gentle peppery edge towards the end.
Comment: Nostalgic sweetness with elegant maturity.
Score 88/100
Sláinte!
-Thomas
