Hazelburn 7 Year Old Sherry Wood (Oloroso Cask) Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2026 Release 700ml

Hazelburn is Springbank's quietest secret — the softest, most elegant, and least peated of the three single malt styles produced entirely within the distillery's Campbeltown walls, alongside Springbank itself and the heavily peated Longrow. Triple distilled and completely unpeated, Hazelburn takes its name from a historic Campbeltown distillery that was once one of the largest in the town; today, that name lives on entirely as one of Springbank's own house styles, made on the very same stills, floor maltings, and warehouses. Where the flagship Hazelburn 10 Year Old is matured entirely in bourbon casks and shows a light, tropical, delicate character, the annually released Hazelburn Sherry Wood exists specifically to show the opposite side of the same spirit — a stark, deliberate contrast built entirely around Oloroso sherry.

This 2026 release is fully matured for seven years in 100% Oloroso sherry casks — not finished, but matured from new make through to bottling entirely in sherry wood, a meaningful distinction that gives even a relatively young whisky genuine body and depth. The result opens with an inviting, richly sherried nose: maraschino cherries, fudge, treacle, dates, and brandy butter, joined by brown sugar and ginger. The palate is full, sweetly fruited, and warmly spiced, delivering raisins, red currant jelly, and sticky toffee pudding, layered with black currant, herbs, and a distinctly warm sherry spice. Despite its young age relative to Springbank's more celebrated older releases, the whisky shows real clarity and generous depth — proof of exactly what full Oloroso maturation, rather than a brief finishing period, can achieve.

Limited to just 9,000 bottles worldwide and bottled at 47.9% ABV (95.8 proof), this is an annual release built specifically to give Springbank devotees the chance to taste the distillery's most elegant, unpeated style pushed into genuinely dark, dessert-like territory. As one retailer put it plainly: "despite its relatively young age, the whisky shows clear body and generous depth, largely because it has been fully matured in Oloroso casks rather than simply finished in them." A genuinely rich, warming, and thoroughly satisfying expression of Campbeltown's gentlest house style.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Hazelburn is produced entirely at Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland — one of the most traditional whisky producers in the country, carrying out an unusually large share of its own production on-site, from floor malting through distillation, maturation, and bottling. The name honors a historic Campbeltown distillery that was once one of the largest in the town before its closure; today, "Hazelburn" survives entirely as Springbank's own unpeated, triple-distilled house style, produced on the same equipment used for Springbank and Longrow.

The Hazelburn Sherry Wood series is released annually, specifically to provide a deliberate contrast to the fully bourbon-matured Hazelburn 10 Year Old, the flagship expression in the range. This 2026 edition carries a 7-year age statement and is matured entirely — not finished — in 100% Oloroso sherry casks, a full maturation from new-make spirit through to bottling that gives the relatively young whisky considerably more body, richness, and dark fruit character than a brief finishing period alone could produce. Limited to 9,000 bottles worldwide, the whisky is bottled at 47.9% ABV, equivalent to 95.8 proof.

Critics Reviews

No numerical critic score is confirmed for this product at this time.

The Barrel Tap (official product description):
"Hazelburn 7 Year Oloroso Sherry Cask Matured Scotch Whisky 2026 Release is a limited Campbeltown single malt from Springbank Distillery, aged 7 years and fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks. Hazelburn is the unpeated, triple-distilled style made at Springbank, known for a lighter, creamy, and fruit-forward profile compared to the distillery's Springbank and Longrow labels. The sherry cask maturation gives the whisky rich layers of maraschino cherry, fudge, treacle, dates, brown sugar, ginger, raisins, red currant jelly, sticky toffee pudding, black currant, herbs, and warm spice."

Master of Malt (extended tasting note):
"A fresh batch of unpeated, triple-distilled Hazelburn single malt from Campbeltown's Springbank distillery. Matured entirely in oloroso sherry casks for seven years, it's laden with notes of sticky toffee and dark fruit. Maraschino cherries, fudge, treacle, dates, brandy butter. Brown sugar, ginger, raisins, red currant jelly. Sweet sticky toffee pudding, black currants, herbs, tarragon."

Rasch Vin & Spiritus (extended tasting note):
"Despite its relatively young age, the whisky shows clear body and generous depth, largely because it has been fully matured in Oloroso casks rather than simply finished in them. In this 7-year-old Oloroso release, the clean and fruity spirit gains a darker layer of sherry, bringing notes of dried fruit, brown sugar, syrup, raisins, dates, cherries and spice. The palate is full, sweetly fruited and spicy, with brown sugar, ginger, raisins and redcurrant jelly."

Springbank official (house-level context on the Hazelburn range):
"The Hazelburn Sherry Wood is an annually released limited edition matured exclusively in Oloroso Sherry casks — this 7 year old release provides a stark contrast to the fully Bourbon-matured Hazelburn 10 Year Old."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Rich, sweet, and sherry-led. Maraschino cherries, fudge, treacle, and dates open immediately, joined by brandy butter, brown sugar, and ginger.

Palate
Full-bodied, sweetly fruited, and spicy. Raisins and red currant jelly carry the primary fruit character, joined by sticky toffee pudding, black currant, herbs, and tarragon, with warm sherry spice running throughout.

Finish
Warm and lingering, closing with the same dark fruit and toffee character that defines the nose and palate — a genuinely generous, dessert-like close for a whisky still relatively young in age.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Sticky toffee pudding and dark caramel desserts
• Dried fruit and nut boards
• Aged cheeses
• Dark chocolate