Hazelburn 8yo Sherry Wood 2025 & Whiskyland Chapter Fifteen - Springbank 30yo

Hazelburn 8yo Sherry Wood 2025

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 48.2%

Price: £78.00 

This year’s release of Hazelburn Sherry Wood was distilled in February 2017 and matured in Oloroso sherry casks until it was bottled in March 2025. A total of 10,500 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with sour cherry, candied nuts, lots of macerated raspberries, balsamic vinegar, alongside a hint of clove and light aniseed aromas. There's also a lot of white sugar, it's quite sweet, but this is balanced nicely with the zingy red fruits. The alcohol is very well integrated, there's a hint of prickliness but there's so much sherry goodness following it that it's not particularly noticeable. Going back, we're finding strawberry laces, salted caramel and plum sauce. 

Palate

The palate opens with richer flavours than the nose presented, more caramel, treacle, cassia bark, chocolate coins, oak tannin and some cherry liqueur. The red fruits come though more on the latter palate, it feels fresher, sweeter and juicier with fizzy strawberry and raspberry jelly sweets. There's a lot more coastal flavours coming through too, lots of sea spray, salt water, and some candied ginger too.. actually a combination of candied ginger and ginger ale. There's an earthiness that starts to appear as the finish lingers on. The mouthfeel is good, relatively oily. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings forward more chocolate, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, brown sugar, and caramel notes. Very dessert-like. There's also lighter fruit notes of raspberry and some floral, rose-like aromas. It's sweeter now, perhaps a little less interesting.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate feels citrus-forward up front, lemony, moving into lots of red fruit syrups - strawberries and raspberries mostly. There's still a bit of peppery, gingery alcohol kick, but the mouthfeel is a touch thinner. We'd avoid adding water to this dram.

Conclusion

This is really quite good. Lots of sherry, but not one note - there's layers of sweet, sour, salty and earthy notes that elevate this above the typical sherry bomb. It feels well balanced too, well integrated for only 8 years of maturation. Very tasty.

Score: 8/10

Value

A little more expensive than last year’s release, despite being younger. That said, it’s already sold out.

Whiskyland Chapter Fifteen - Springbank 30yo

Region: Campbeltown

ABV: 44.8%

Price: £950.00 

Whiskyland Chapter 15 is a 30-year-old Springbank, distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2025 after maturing for three decades in a refill hogshead. A total of 238 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with white grape, elderflower, wet cardboard, lemon water, barley sugars, and light almond marzipan aromas. Behind this sits a dunnage-y, earthy smoke which is a little more punchy than we were expecting for the age, but not in a bad way. There's very little cask influence here but what is present is balanced beautifully, and the Springbank spirit has been left to mellow and integrate nicely. Going back, we're getting toffee pieces, flakey sea salt, engine oil and a little marshmallow too. 

Palate

The palate opens with a silky texture, moving into creamy lemon custard, a little vanilla essence, light white pepper spice and some melon towards the finish. Like the nose, the peat is quite prominent, giving an earthy, vegetal, salty and slightly sour taste that lingers through the good length finish. There's also some flint, candle wax, peanut skins and barley water coming through as we revisit it. The spice is a tad warmer than we'd expect for the age and ABV, but it's not too out of place. A final sip reveals a hit of aniseed right at the finish.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a little more salt, a little more savoury, meatiness coming up front, following into those earthy, dunnage aromas with hints of sweetness and a handful of toasted nuts too. It feels a bit oakier, and has lost some of those floral, fruity aromas. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the silky texture, and has a lot more citrus bursting out, followed by some orchard fruits appearing that we didn't find before. The latter palate continues with the salty, briny notes, wet rope, bung cloth, earthen floors and sugar water.

Conclusion

One of the most distillate driven Springbanks we've tried, very little cask influence after three decades of maturation. This results in a silky, vegetal, smoky, salty, briny experience that's quite unique. It's got lots of complex flavours and aromas swirling around, it evolves each time you take a sip or a sniff. A tad warm on the palate, but we're nitpicking.

Score: 8.5/10

Value

We wouldn’t call this release cheap, but it’s certainly competitively priced for what it is.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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