House of Hazelwood - Scotch Whisky's Greatest Private Collection Available to Vinum

House of Hazelwood offers collectors the chance to experience the very best from one of Scotland’s greatest whisky cellars.

For the best part of a century, the Gordon family – owners of William Grant – have been building a personal, unrepeatable, collection of casks of the very finest whiskies in Scotland. Each of these decades-old casks is unique, a piece of Scottish whisky history. When one is chosen for bottling, there are by definition, only tiny amounts of each available.

We have been working closely with the estate, named after the family home in Dufftown in the Highlands, in order to present to you a stunning range of these magnificent bottlings to you today.

Whiskies that date back to the 1960s are included, as are releases where under 200 bottles were produced. We’ve tried them all and can confirm that every single one is a truly memorable experience, a real honour to experience Scotch history in the glass. Some of these whiskies are from a different era, a time when experimentation in Scotch perhaps created a truly one-off bottling. Hugely collectable, hugely interesting.

These bottlings mark the first time that the Gordon family has offered their collection to those outside of their family. Each one has been carefully selected and considered before release, housed in a beautiful hand-engraved decanter.

For the quality of the whiskies, the prices remain incredibly favourable when put up against distillery-branded bottlings of similar ages and quality.

We have detailed each whisky below alongside our tasting notes. If you need any further information please do get in touch.

1968 Single Grain Scotch, The Cask Trials

This has a real Oloroso sherry nose and quite a tropical, rum and macerated banana nose, touches of beeswax and a creaminess. 53 years in cask, exceptionally rare to find a single grain whisky so long in a first fill Oloroso cask. Sweetness on the palate along with a peppery attack followed by caramel, toffee and mocha with those rich tropical flavours coming through. Long, long length, almost impossible to pick out as a grain. 303 bottles.

The Eight Grain 40 Year Old Blended Grain

This has more attack on the palate followed by honeycomb, heather and honey, touches of vanilla and custard. Once again the grain sweetness on the palate that is like shortbread biscuit, finishing with burnt sugar notes. 384 bottles.

The Lowlander 36 Year Old Blended Scotch

This is grassy on the nose and very fresh with plenty of lemon pith and orange peel. This whisky is a celebration of Lowland distilleries using malt and grain only from whiskies in the Lowlands. Very rounded, soft and approachable and all about the citrus, with lemon pie coming through. 432 bottles.

Blended at Birth 1965 Blended Scotch

Not something that could be called a Scotch anymore, and was an experiment at the time! This has coconut shavings, burnt sugar, toffee and caramel all over it. The palate brings some maturity with essence of old books, biscuityness and orange peel, and there is a perfume there too. This was a blend of new make malt and new make grain which has then spent 57 years in cask. Nothing else like it. 192 bottles.

Sunshine on Speyside 39 Year Old Blended Malt

Easy to see where the name comes from! This is about pineapple, mango and fresh juice. A blend of two hoghsheads that is hard to describe, really quite unlike any other whisky with a very fresh, juicy and tropical profile that belies its 39 years of age. 398 bottles.

Spirit of Scotland 46 Year Old Blended Scotch

Originally, this liquid was bottled and released in 1994 as an 8 year old as part of the 500^th anniversary of Scotch whisky production. A portion was kept back in cask and 28 years later, sees the light of day! This has a beautiful approachability to it, with the citrus profile complemented by patisserie and vanilla bean with just a touch of sea air. 528 bottles.

The Lost Estate 43 Year Old Blended Grain

Both grains here are from closed distilleries, which has inspired the name. There is a pure character to this with the classic peppery profile that becomes a little chocolatey on the palate. On the finish this is like a desert trolley with crème brulee and crème anglaise. 564 bottles.

The Tops 33 Year Old Blended Malt

Quite a different nose here with a pronounced malty character on the nose. Waxy, oily and rich in texture, this is much more wintery, Christmas spices, orange peel, touch of marzipan and bitter orange oil. A real sherry bomb quality, this was a blend of the best of the best casks – all regarded as good enough to be bottled as single casks. A vanity project in many ways. Rich, dark fruit and sherry. Seriously impressive. 523 bottles.

A Breath of Fresh Air 37 Year Old Blended Grain

This is peppermint on the nose and peppermint on the palate. Fresh, floral, grassy and minty – and incredibly laid back and drinkable. Beautiful stuff.

The Old Confectioner’s 44 Year Old Blended Malt

Reminiscent of an old fashioned sweet shop, from liquorice, boiled sweets and candy to the polished and varnished wood of the serving counter, so much going on. Loads of toffee and nutty characters on the finish with is rich and long. 256 bottles.

The Long Marriage 56 Year Old Blended Scotch

Very dark and intense colour, a biscuit malty character that is all sherry notes and very enticing. Oily, Oloroso here. This was blended when the youngest whisky was 8 years old into a sherry butt and then spent 48 years marrying – hence the name of this bottling. Waxy, the old library in a stately home, yeasty too, a bit umami and marmite too. Powerful, intense and long. 288 bottles.

The Accelerator and The Brake 33 Year Old Blended Scotch
Dave Broom commented that he’d never tasted anything like this in his life. Named after the brothers who first created single malt Scotch at Glenfiddich, representing their opposing personalities. This has the freshness and spice of a grain with the milk chocolate, coffee and chocolate of a single malt along with a curious blackcurrant leaf note. 209 bottles.

A Trail of Smoke 42 Year Old Blended Malt

This is blend of only island malts and has a supreme elegance to it. Wisps of smoke and peat, woody sweetness, hints of the forest along with a fruitiness but this is so drinkable, elegant and fresh. 385 bottles.

Offered subject to final confirmation. Available in 4-6 weeks. Offer Expires 5th July 2024.