What are the qualities of the ultimate whisky designed for the hedonistic palate? House of Hazelwood speak with buyer, Tom Olive, on our recent collaboration all in The Pursuit of Pleasure.
In the wake of our newest release. we were delighted to sit down and discuss the merits of hedonistic tastes with one individual instrumental to the whisky’s blending process: Tom Olive of Hedonism Wines.
An experienced wine and spirits specialist, Tom Olive has sat at the forefront of Hedonism for over seven years, curating a collection of the world’s finest flavours. It is with this experience he helped to forge flavours within The Pursuit of Pleasure, the 52-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, tailored to the tastes of the discerning hedonist, developed exclusively for its pleasurable properties.
The Interview
Hi Tom. Thanks for joining us. Can you tell us more about Hedonism Wines and their mission?
Hedonism Wines began in 2012. The main purpose of Hedonism Wines was to have the best wines and spirits in the world, all in one place. From there, and what continues to be our priority today, is to have the best wine and spirits professionals, offering the very best in customer service. The right products, staff and service are the key to Hedonism’s success.
We wanted to be the place people visited, where people could come and find things they couldn’t find anywhere else in the world. Today, Hedonism houses 3,000 spirits and 7,000 wines, so there is something for everyone.
One of our main principles is that we wouldn’t say “no” to any request. So, if someone wants something and we don’t have it, we’ll try our very best to find and source it.
That sounds like a seriously impressive collection. What sort of rarity are we talking about?
There are plenty of examples with amazing stories, but in terms of wines, we have a wine from 1774, which makes it two years old than the United States of America, which is something pretty interesting – quite a good topic of conversation!
It’s amazing to think about some of the wines and spirts we have from the 1800s, and the history attached to those bottles. The wars and revolutions they have survived unscathed and the generations of families passing them down.
With such rarity, a partnership with House of Hazelwood seems inevitable.
Absolutely. I think when we were first introduced to House of Hazelwood and we first tried the blended whiskies, we instantly fell in love with them – not just from a taste point of view, but the stories too. And that's quite a nice thing when you're selling a whisky like that, they’re being sold where they belong.
One thing that I remember from when I first tried the House of Hazelwood whiskies is that not knowing what distilleries they're from is an interesting notion. It takes away that preconception of what you should be enjoying or what you think you like.
Can you tell us about more about how The Pursuit of Pleasure came to be?
As part of our philosophy, we only part with those who can offer our customers something they cannot find elsewhere. With the rarity of House of Hazelwood, it was a no brainer, really.
We knew the whiskies we’d tried before that the liquid would be good. But to have so many of us involved in sampling the parcels – that was priceless for us to be involved in. It was brilliant.
We took eight of our team up to Scotland to Hazelwood House to be immersed in the whole process of how these blends come together. A lot of us had been to distilleries to see how whisky was made before, but to go into the warehouses – to see all the casks laid out – to experience that smell when you walk through the door and then to sit down with the House of Hazelwood team and learn to construct a blend? I think it was brilliant. I don’t think anyone on the team had been able to do that before.
As part of the process, it was determined early on that a Blended Whisky would be most suited to the hedonists. Why is that?
I think in a world where Single Malt has been so dominant for a long time, it's refreshing to see brilliant liquids as blends. It does maybe challenge people's perception of what is desirable and what is luxury product because I think for a long time when people think about blends, they maybe think of the lower end of the market.
But the thing with House of Hazelwood - as soon as you start trying the whiskies, you put that to bed completely, and the whisky speaks for itself. There are some brilliant Single Malts out there and there always will be. But, I think the fact that blends have a place in the market and at the luxury end of the market as well, is right and well deserved. House of Hazelwood embody that.
What was your personal experience like taking part in the collaboration?
First of all, just to see the way it's done at House of Hazelwood. The way Eilidh Muir, the blender, took us through their process and how they make these whiskies – considering all the components.
Then how that leads into a final blend for us, for us to be able to have an influence on the final blend. It’s been super special.
Discover The Pursuit of Pleasure
The Pursuit of Pleasure, a 52-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, is now available to pre-order. To find out more about the release, discover the story now.
