House of Hazelwood : The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old

Tasting Notes and Advice for The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old by House of Hazelwood

Tasting

Appearance
The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old presents a pale gold hue. This relatively light colour for a whisky of this age reflects maturation in casks with limited colour extraction, consistent with a profile far removed from heavily sherry-influenced whiskies.

Nose
The nose immediately evokes bazaars and souks, with notes of dried herbs and star anise. It then unfolds into spiced, nutty oil, fresh ginger, lime leaves, Thai basil, dried mint and salted butter. Touches of lightly fermenting apple, damp walnut shells, dried pineapple, banana chips and a hint of dried lemon zest enrich this particularly aromatic bouquet, comparable to a stroll through a spice market.

Palate
The palate, silky and generous, opens on wholemeal flour and bran notes, followed by honey and butter spread on lightly charred toast. Compressed apples, plum jam and dates bring a fruity, stewed dimension, while very bitter yet milky coffee mingles with notes of fresh leather, warm toffee sauce and liquorice root, both astringent and sweet. A subtle thread of vanilla underpins the whole. The long finish lingers on toasted grain, plum stone and soft woody spices.

Pairings and Tasting Moments

The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old is presented by the brand as the ideal companion to an indulgent dessert, its fragrant sweetness and light spiced dryness harmonising beautifully with rich preparations. It pairs well with tarte tatin, an apple and date crumble, a lightly spiced crème brûlée or a chocolate dessert topped with salted caramel. Given its rarity and complexity, it is best enjoyed neat, with perhaps a small amount of water to fully reveal its bouquet, in a calm setting conducive to contemplation, at the end of a meal.

Other Characteristics

The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old is a single grain, meaning a whisky produced from grain whiskies sourced from a single distillery, the name of which is not disclosed by the brand. It is bottled at 47.6% ABV, in 70cl bottles.

A Rare Scottish Single Grain Infused with the Spices of the Silk Road

House of Hazelwood, a Scotch Whisky Collection Rooted in a Century-Old Family Heritage

House of Hazelwood is a Scotch whisky brand built on private stocks accumulated over nearly a century by the Gordon family, owners of William Grant & Sons, the company that now controls the brand as a wholly owned subsidiary. The story dates back to the 19th century, to the meeting between William Grant and a member of the Gordon family in the Cabrach, an isolated area of Moray once home to illicit distilling. The brand's name, officially launched in 2022, pays tribute to Hazelwood House, the family residence located near Dufftown, in Speyside. The whiskies, generally aged between 33 and 58 years, come from casks laid down by successive generations of the family and are selected according to their optimal maturity rather than a fixed schedule. House of Hazelwood notably celebrates the legacy of Charles Gordon, founder of the Girvan grain distillery, and offers narrative-driven collections such as the Charles Gordon Collection and the Legacy Collection.

The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old, an Exceptional Single Grain with a Limited Release

The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old belongs to House of Hazelwood's Legacy Collection, alongside The Hazelwood Highlander, Queen of the Hebrides and The Transatlantic. It is a single grain Scotch Whisky, produced from grain whiskies sourced from a single distillery whose identity remains undisclosed, in keeping with the brand's tradition of discretion regarding the exact origin of its distillates. After 44 years of maturation, this whisky was bottled at 47.6% ABV, in 70cl bottles, in an extremely limited release, making it a highly sought-after piece among collectors.

The product's presentation and storytelling are built around the theme of the Silk Road and Oriental markets, an evocation that echoes the journeys undertaken by the Gordon family around the world to promote the House's whiskies. This single grain thus illustrates House of Hazelwood's ambition to demonstrate the aromatic depth that grain whiskies can achieve when carefully selected and matured over long periods, far removed from their image as a mere blending component. Through its rarity, age and storytelling, The Silk Traveller 44 Year Old holds a unique place within the Legacy Collection.