William Grant & Sons has unveiled a new elegant whisky under the House of Hazelwood name – inspired by family luminary Janet Sheed Roberts. It will launch exclusively in Global Travel Retail from February 2016 until September 2016.
It was the decade F. Scott Fitzgerald released The Great Gatsby, women gained the right to vote, the glamour and exuberance of the art deco movement began flourishing through the great cities of the world, and it was the heyday for elegant Scotch whisky drinking.
William Grant & Sons is proud to launch House of Hazelwood, an elegant and vivacious new blended Scotch whisky inspired by family luminary Janet Sheed Roberts (1901 to 2012) and expressed through the spirit of the great Art Deco cities that influenced the world in her heyday. During her rich and vibrant life, Janet Sheed Roberts lived in Hazelwood House, a house close to the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. It was from Hazelwood House that she revelled in learning and progress, spending considerable time after her studies travelling the world, attending shows, parties and company ceremonies. In fact, inside Hazelwood House you can still find the beautiful art deco artefacts, pictures and stories from those days.
Janet Sheed Roberts was a rare and extraordinary woman whose spirit inspired five generations of one of Scotland’s most famous private distillers, right back to its founding father, William Grant. When Master Blender Brian Kinsman set out to create a range of whiskies to pay tribute to its family doyenne, it was natural that he might first look to the two distilleries closest to her heart: Kininvie and Girvan, as well as the family’s private collection.
“Janet Sheed Roberts was an elegant woman, and I wanted to create a whisky that would celebrate her extraordinary spirit,” says Master Blender Brian Kinsman. “The journey of creativity which led me to this unique whisky was one of distinction, challenge and utter delight. I am deeply proud of House of Hazelwood 25 year old. It has allowed me to create an exquisitely rare blended whisky, rich in Scotch tradition, combined with all of the inventive artistry which Shanghai in the 1920s inspires.”
House of Hazelwood is composed of three exquisite expressions, each blended to perfection, with its own inimitable story to tell. All inspired by the 1920s, the most distinguished is the 25 year old expression, which is a particular source of pride for its creator Master Blender Brian Kinsman. Followed by two other variants, House of Hazelwood 21 year old (inspired by the sultry beauty of Mumbai), and House of Hazelwood 18 year old (inspired by the classic elegance of Paris).
The packaging takes its inspiration from three of the most mesmeric cities at the forefront of the Art Deco movement: Paris, Mumbai and Shanghai. The design focuses on the creation of a distinctive visual leitmotif associated with the luminosity of each city.
It will launch exclusively in Global Travel Retail from February 2016 until September 2016. From then, it will launch in a few select markets around the world.
Tasting notes:
HOUSE OF HAZELWOOD 25 YEAR OLD: House of Hazelwood 25 Year Old was inspired by the classic elegance of Shanghai, a city which stood at the centre of Cathay elegance in the 1920s.
This release represents the Master Blenders’ most prized expression. Each rare single malt earned its place in Kinsman’s final selection, and the blend was then married in American oak, allowing sufficient time for the complex and diverse flavours to infuse and mellow. The resultant majestic whisky is unique, rare and very special.
NOSE: Caramelized brown sugar leads, accompanied by vanilla, maple, soft spice and hints of fresh sawn wood. Citrus notes and orange blossom linger in the background.
TASTE: An elegant combination of vibrant spice and vanilla sweetness on the palate. A long dry finish from the new oak.
FINISH: Caramelized sugar, and Soft spice.
HOUSE OF HAZELWOOD 21 YEAR OLD: House of Hazelwood 21 Year Old is inspired by the sultry beauty of Mumbai in the 1920s.
This release represents a bolder, somewhat spicier and more robust whisky balanced to perfection by the ageing of some of its malts for 21 years in sherry casks made of European oak.
NOSE: Dried fruits and spice dominate, alongside a sticky sweetness reminiscent of rich fruit cake. A splash of water alters the balance and adds complexity with a subtle hint of tobacco leaf.
TASTE: Cinnamon, cloves and woody spice, with a dry finish. Water accentuates the sherry cask influence, bringing out the sweet oiliness of treacle, dates and polished leather.
FINISH: Spice, Molasses, and Resin.
HOUSE OF HAZELWOOD 18 YEAR OLD: House of Hazelwood 18 Year Old is inspired by the classic elegance of Paris in the 1920s. This release reveals an elegant and classic whisky, perhaps the purest expression of Kininvie and Girvan spirits in the range, and married in tuns of Portuguese oak.
NOSE: Vibrant vanilla sweetness dominates the nose. Delicate oak adds complexity.
TASTE: Creamy toffee enhanced by soft oak undertones. A long and elegant finish. Approachable, yet refined by age.
FINISH: Vanilla, Creamy toffee, Soft oak.
