Burnside 27 Year Old Blended Malt Scotch Review

By Alex Southgate

Rating: A

There are some brilliant independent bottlers out there producing some very fine whisky. Halcyon Spirits are a relatively new independent bottler, but they are part of that group, so I’m excited to see what their Burnside 27 Year Old Blended Malt brings to the table.

To offer some background, Halcyon Spirits is an independent bottler established in 2020 in Aberdeenshire as a family run business, started by brothers Daniel and Craig Milne. Their inaugural release came in June of 2023.

Burnside is based on Balvenie malt, and is the fourth release from Halcyon Spirits. This comes as one of only 292 bottles,  distilled back in October of 1996. Burnside is a single cask malt that was finished for just under two years in an Oloroso Sherry cask. This expression is non-chill filtered and naturally colored, and has been bottled at a cask strength of 52.9%.

The Scotch
Burnside is a very deep amber hue, both in the bottle and on the pour. This blended malt pours easily, leaving only faint legs on the side of the glass. The deep caramel tone to this Scotch makes this expression very appealing to the eye and I couldn’t wait to see what it had in store for me.

The nose starts with a heavy sherry scent, clearly on account of the cask it was finished in. A warm raisin sweetness lifts to reveal a complex blend of spices notably the dryness of ginger which is paired with subtler citrus notes of orange zest. These spicy, fruity tones clear into a finish of soft oak.

The first thing I notice on my palate is the blend of spices from the nose, something that gives this Scotch an immediate earthy quality. This is quickly replaced with the classic combination of dried fruit and mixed nuts. These nutty notes dampen down a citrus tang that runs evenly through the background.  The finish is one of hazelnut with just a whisper of vanilla.

Burnside is very much a savouy tipple. This was quite surprising because to the nose there is an immediate and unmistakable sweetness. As a fan of whisky’s that aren’t overtly sharp or sweet this particular rendition is right up my alley. This is a very tasty expression if you like earthier whisky and one that I wish wasn’t such a short run.

Something I consider for grading is if the whisky could, all things being equal, become a fan favorite in my home. If this was available for the mass market and not so expensive, I think Burnside could quite happily become one of my go to Blended Malts.

The Price
Burnside is coming in at £195 per bottle for those of you here in the UK.