Hello everyone! As you’ve noticed, due to the difficulties stemming from COVID-19, Toronto Whisky Society hasn’t had too many updates to post onto the main website. So we’re slowly going to be throwing up more content including whisky reviews, starting with a review I wrote a little while ago about this stunning 14 year old Hazelburn single cask that was released exclusively for the Alberta market by Gold Medal Marketing!

This Hazelburn was aged for 14 years in a fresh rum barrel and bottled at cask strength while yielding only 186 bottles. So let’s see if rum+triple distilled spirit is the best mix!

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Age: 14 Years

Region: Campbeltown

Cask Type(s): Fresh Rum Barrel

ABV: 52.6%

No. of Bottles: 186

Maturation Time: Aug. 2005/Nov. 2019

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• Color: Light Gold
• Nose: Really soft but immediately there’s some sweet pineapple and funky gingery molasses mix along with white pepper, apple skins, oranges, raisins, cocoa dust and mace
• Taste: Nice and oily with sweet papaya, pineapple and melon and then some funky esters, creamy molasses, ginger wine, orange and lemon pastry, black peppercorns, light gunpowdery notes and faint macadamia nuts
• Finish: Medium to Long with pistachio cream, white pepper, tangy pineapple, cinnamon snaps and apple pie

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A really nice and delicate Hazelburn with some really nice pepper and spices. The slight gunpowder notes make me think the barrel was a Guyana rum but I can’t be too sure as I’m not widely versed with all the popular rum distillers.

Actually wait…I’ve gotten gunpowder on Trinidadian rums before too so…maybe just ignore my ramblings on things I know close to nothing about!

Even then, this is a really unique style of Hazelburn and every flavour together quite well mixing nice tangy tropical fruits and weird creamy nuttiness into a delightful spicy and exotic dessert dram. Glad I ended up with a half bottle to keep around for a little while because this is a winner for sure.

86/100