The new range, drawn from whisky stocks laid down by the Gordons for almost a century and named after the family home in Dufftown, comprises The Charles Gordon Collection – in 2022, four whiskies priced at £3,000-4,500 per bottle – and The Legacy Collection – four whiskies priced at £950-1,450.
They include the first spirit produced at the Girvan grain distillery in South Ayrshire in 1964, and a 56-year-old whisky, unusually blended as new make spirit before its maturation.
‘This is a collection of individual spirits, representing unique cask trials that have taken place over the years and combinations that may never be seen again,’ said Jonathan Gibson, House of Hazelwood marketing director.
‘Central to this is the philosophy that the maturing stock is ready when it’s ready. The whiskies carried within the collection are unique and irreplaceable – single snapshots in the long history of Scotch whisky.’
The 2022 releases are available from the House of Hazelwood web shop, and retailers including Hedonism Wines, Royal Mile Whiskies, The Whisky Shop and Davidoff of London.
The Charles Gordon Collection:
The Cask Trials, 53 Year Old Single Grain – 49.2%, £3,800/70cl
Blended at Birth, 56 Year Old Blend – 47%, £4,500/70cl
The First Drop, 58 Year Old Single Grain – 41.5%, £3,000/70cl
The Long Marriage, 56 Year Old Blend – 48.7%, £4,000/70cl
The Legacy Collection:
The Tops, 33 Year Old Blended Malt – 51.6%, £1,450/70cl
Sunshine on Speyside, 39 Year Old Blended Malt – 42.5%, £950/70cl
The Spirit of Scotland, 46 Year Old Blend – 43.6%, £1,200/70cl
The Lost Estate, 43 Year Old Blended Grain – 41.6%, £1,200/70cl
Tasting notes
The First Drop
A 58-year-old single grain whisky from the first spirit run at the Girvan distillery in January 1964, this is a highly aromatic, classically sweet grain with hints of White Chocolate Orange and Sugar Puffs. There’s also a clear Bourbon thread: vanilla, black banana and a rich coconut note suggestive of Bounty bars.
Blended at Birth
Long ageing has wrought an alchemical transformation in this 1965 blend – exotic notes of apricot, mango and passionfruit, plus pungent lily and jasmine scents. There’s light vanilla fudge, then darker caramel, a silky texture and a scented finish redolent of Parma Violets and an upmarket perfumier.
Sunshine on Speyside
This blended malt is hedonistically fruity on the nose, with lifted aromas of guava, kiwi and cassis, leading into dark marmalade, hazelnut praline and chocolate ganache. But it’s a shapeshifter, with the palate almost austere by comparison – plenty of structure, a whisper of earthy smoke and a mildly drying finish.
The Spirit of Scotland
The greatest blends are masterclasses of harmony and complexity: this 46-year-old offers multiple layers of ripe orchard fruits, then zesty mandarin slathered in vanilla cream – as well as an undercurrent of malty cereal notes and an expanding hint of aromatic smoke. Not remotely showy, but complex and endlessly fascinating.
