Welcome back to Chill Filtered, the podcast where we drink whiskey so you don't have to! 🥃 This week, Cole and Bryan go head-to-head with a rare side-by-side comparison of two limited Campbeltown releases from the J&A Mitchell family: the Hazelburn 8-Year Oloroso Cask Matured (2025 Release, 96.4 Proof) and the brand-new Hazelburn 7-Year Oloroso Cask Matured (2026 Release, 95.8 Proof). To kick off the entry buzz, Cole cracks an old bottling of Glen Grant 10-Year from Unicorn Auctions while Bryan revisits his Hazelburn 15-Year Oloroso from Episode 349. Before diving into the history and tasting, the guys catch up on viral farting horse videos, fighting off seasonal sinus colds, and Cole and Heather’s secret prep for a surprise family trip to Disney World—complete with a two-coin daily "sugar budget" for Beck and Grey. Plus, Cole and Bryan compare notes on tracking down exact birth-date Blanton's bottles for their daughters, Bryan recaps his downtown Chandler staycation with Sam and Emma’s thrill ride on the bucket-train at Vertuccio Farms, and Cole shares how he used AI to automate actuarial rate-filing memos at work. They also celebrate Salad and Go reopening its Higley & Williams Field spot in Gilbert and count down to the upcoming Phoenix meetup and Found North barrel pick with Nick Taylor! 🥃 History Deep Dive: The Ghost of Hazelburn & The Blueprint of Japanese Whisky Long before Springbank revived the Hazelburn name in 1997 as a completely unpeated, 100% floor-malted, triple-distilled single malt, Hazelburn was an independent Campbeltown titan. Founded in 1825 by Daniel and Duncan Greenlees along the Millknowe stream, it grew into the largest distillery in the "Whisky Capital of the World." In 1920, a young Japanese chemist named Masataka Taketsuru arrived at Hazelburn for a five-month apprenticeship under chief chemist and distillery manager Peter Margach Innes. Accompanied by his Scottish wife, Rita Cowan, Taketsuru filled two leather-bound notebooks with exact pot still dimensions, cut points, and fermentation metrics. Those "Taketsuru Notebooks" convinced Shinjiro Torii to hire him to build Yamazaki in 1923 and later guided Taketsuru in founding Nikka’s Yoichi Distillery in Hokkaido—preserving Hazelburn's technical legacy even after the original Scottish distillery closed in 1925. 🥃 The Tasting & Verdict Cole and Bryan break down how the 8-Year (matured in a mix of fresh and refill Oloroso casks) stacks up against the noticeably darker 7-Year (matured in 100% first-fill Oloroso sherry casks) neat, with water, and on the rocks. While the 8-Year highlights clean grain structure and buttery malt complexity, the 100% first-fill 7-Year brings a wave of rich vintage leather, stewed spiced plums, and juicy strawberry candy notes. Cole’s Score: B+ (8.9) Bryan’s Score: A- (for both the 7-Year and 8-Year, with the 15-Year holding strong at an A) 📰 Whiskey World News The guys celebrate the launch of their new short-form YouTube series, NCFW (No Cuts, Focused on the Whiskey)—which just crossed 2,000+ views—offering quick 10-to-15-minute reviews of hot releases alongside regular weekly podcast episodes. They also chat about the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Squire Association, Cole’s successful Kentucky Colonel nominations for Colonel John F'n Hughes and Brandon Hunt of Bourbon Charity, and what it takes to earn a Kentucky Colonel commission. 🤔 What Whiskey Would You Choose? After a quick detour debating authentic Philly cheesesteak toppings (and whether Shawn C. can smuggle a cheesesteak out to Phoenix), the guys recap the "Trust Me, Just Buy It" poll where Found North Batch 009 defeated Redbreast Cask Strength (65% to 35%), featuring listener write-ins from MadTownMarketer (Del Bac Ode to Islay), Miles Ferguson (King's County Peated Rye), Off Topic Whiskey (Corbin Cash, Montgomery, and Oak & Grist), and Kody Clark (Found North Batch 008). Then, Bryan poses this week’s question: What is a whiskey name you mispronounced for way too long before learning the truth? Cole confesses his early days of saying "La-frog" (Laphroaig), "Brook-laddick" (Bruichladdich), "Kil-ko-man" (Kilchoman), "Fry Ranch" (Frey Ranch), and "Glen-gary-ick" (Glen Garioch / "Glen Geery"), while Bryan admits he spent years calling Ampersand Opimus "Optimus" like Optimus Prime! Drop your funniest whiskey mispronunciations in the comments below! Connect with Chill Filtered: 📺 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChillFiltered 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean 📸 Follow us on Instagram: @chillfilteredpodcast 🥃 Join Our Monthly Drink-Alongs & Community Perks: https://www.patreon.com/chillfiltered (Support the show for exclusive barrel picks, sample swaps, and live virtual tastings—like our Girl Dad Bourbon drink-along!)