As one of Scotland’s oldest industries, the production of Scotch Whisky is steeped in stories of culture and seminal moments. Scotland’s Stories author, Graeme Johncock muses on tasting the history of Scotch Whisky.
Every Scotch whisky tells a story and House of Hazelwood is full of tales to savour a little longer than most. As one of the greatest collections of mature Scotch whisky in the world, meticulously curated over the last century, you’ll find unique stories in every bottle.
There are tales of past processes, legends of lost distilleries and insights into iconic moments in Scotch whisky history. Each expression connects you to the past in a remarkable way, not just as a window to that period, but as a link to the people who crafted it.
The story of Scotch whisky is a long and complicated one, with countless ups and downs, changing trends and traditions. As the whisky industry evolved, so did society’s taste for specific types of spirit and House of Hazelwood’s collection epitomises that. Where modern choices lean heavily towards single malt, that wasn’t always the case.
Many of House of Hazelwood’s rare bottlings are blended whiskies, celebrations of a category that played a crucial role in Scotland’s whisky story. Whether it’s Blended Scotch, Blended Grain or Blended Malt, there’s a whole world of historic whiskies out there if you look past the typical Single Malt.
When discussing the heritage of Scotch whisky, one historical episode regularly appears. You might say it’s the most important moment of all. It’s the first mention of what we might call Scotch whisky, stretching right back to the 15th century.
In 1494, the Exchequer Rolls show King James IV ordering Friar John Cor to make Aqua Vitae or Water of Life from eight bolls of malt. That would have been enough malted barley to make an impressive 1,500 bottles of whisky for the king.
You’re not likely to find any of those tucked away in a cellar, but the birth of Scotch whisky can still be celebrated with Spirit of Scotland. In 1994, to mark the 500th anniversary of this important historical event, 500 bottles of an 18-year-old blend of grain and malt were produced.
The remainder of that spirit was laid down in casks to mature for a little longer. Almost three decades later, Spirit of Scotland was released at 46 years old, allowing you to raise a toast to one of the most iconic moments in Scotch whisky’s amazing story.
It's fair to say that Scotch whisky has come a long way since the days of Friar John Cor. I doubt they had many rules and regulations to follow when it came to producing their spirit, even if it was fit for a king. In the modern era, the process is tightly regulated, far beyond the ingredients and minimum age.
Fortunately, there are whiskies from House of Hazelwood’s collection that predate some of those rules such as Blended at Birth. Today, a blended Scotch can only be created with spirits already over the legal age of three years and a day. However, back in 1965, things were different.
Blended at Birth comes from the now banned technique of blending new make spirit together before maturation. It’s certainly mature now after lying for 56 years in ex-bourbon American oak. That makes this an undeniable piece of Scotch whisky history, something that could never be created again. It’s a remarkable spirit with a story you can really taste.
While some whiskies are rare thanks to changing regulations, others like The Lost Estate are highly sought after due to originating in ghost distilleries. The increasingly rare bottles from these distilleries tell a story that’s in danger of fading away. That’s a tragic tale of boom and bust.
Innovation, economic stability and confidence in the industry had caused a huge whisky boom in the 1970s, with distilleries investing ever more to increase production. Even with a huge demand for every last drop of spirit, Charles Gordon (of Charles Gordon Collection namesake, who laid down the first of the House of Hazelwood stocks) had the prescience to lay certain casks aside for the future.
It's a good thing that they did. By the 1980s, the boom of production had outstripped demand and there was now a surplus of unsold spirit known as the whisky loch. Many distilleries were forced into closure, potentially including the two grain whisky producers later blended into The Lost Estate. Even if they could be rebuilt or reopened, these spirits can never be replicated.
The taste of the past provided by The Lost Estate takes you back to one of the Scotch whisky industry's most dramatic periods. It’s a story not worth repeating, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be remembered.
One of the more unusual expressions available from House of Hazelwood, The Cask Trials, tells two distinct stories. First, the whisky itself is single grain Scotch whisky, produced at Girvan Distillery in 1968.
Built by Charles Gordon just four years earlier, the enigmatic owner lived in an onsite caravan to keep an eye on the project, promising free bottles of whisky to keep the worker’s spirits high! His plan clearly worked since Girvan was built, commissioned and began producing spirit all in the space of just nine months.
However, it’s what Charles did with some of Girvan’s early single grain spirit that makes The Cask Trials particularly interesting. Placing it in a sherry cask wasn’t a new idea for Scotch whisky by any means, it was a partnership that dated back centuries.
Sherry was a popular drink, and the leftover casks were seen as an attractive option for whisky maturation. Grain whisky was predominantly destined for blends which meant a typically short, yet sweet maturation. However, leaving Girvan’s spirit to mature in that sherried oak for 53 years was a stroke of genius. It created a whisky that shows the world what a grain whisky can really do when left to mature, demonstrating the historic relationship between Scotch whisky and sherry in a completely new way.
Clearly, the collection offered by House of Hazelwood is more than just one story to be told, it’s a whole storybook just waiting to be enjoyed, over and over.
