House of Hazelwood has added another highly limited Scotch whisky to its collection, but no, you are not allowed to buy it.
Instead, the Warehouse Reserve Batch 1, limited to just 150 bottles, will be available by invitation only.
The Speyside bottler is part of the Gordon family’s William Grant & Sons, which also owns Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and, as of 2025, Famous Grouse. But House of Hazelwood acts like an independent and has free rein to bottle casks from the Gordon family’s private stocks.
Everything is well-aged, unique, and low-yielding, and the Warehouse Reserve Batch 1 is no different. It’s a heavily sherried 36-year-old Speyside blended malt, and although House of Hazelwood never confirms the distilleries involved in any blend, both Glenfiddich and The Balvenie are in Dufftown, the heart of Speyside.
Regardless of the distilleries involved, this expression appears to have plenty of cask influence. House of Hazelwood tells us this whisky has “maraschino cherries, coffee beans, treacle and fragrant notes of rose on the nose. On the palate it is full, rich and mouth-filling – initially sweet before evolving into an exceptionally long, drying and warming finish.”
You can read Joel Harrison’s review of the House of Hazelwood Warehouse Reserve Batch 1 on Tasting Notes.
Why the decision to hold it back for VIPs only? Well, before House of Hazelwood came along, that’s exactly what the Gordon family’s private stocks were for.
Jonathan Gibson, director at House of Hazelwood, said: “This first Warehouse Reserve bottling represents the essence of our private stock – casks that have been nurtured for decades and held back until their character becomes unmistakably special.
“And for generations, this is how these private stocks were used – for gifting and sale by invitation only to friends and guests of the family. To be in a position to share even a handful of these bottles again now with our closest friends and visitors feels like re-opening a family album.”
Warehouse Reserve Batch 1 – Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, 36 Years Old, 51.4% ABV, 150 bottles worldwide, UK RRSP £1,650. Available by invitation only and to guests visiting the House of Hazelwood warehouses in Dufftown, houseofhazelwood.com
