Wolfburn whiskies

History

The original Wolfburn was founded in 1821, in the era when distilleries were being legalised, and became one of the largest in Caithness before closing in the second half of the 19th century. For more than a century only a few ruins and the memory of the name remained. A group of investors decided to revive it, and in 2013 a new distillery opened near the burn that gives it its name. Its first malt came onto the market in 2016, when it reached the three years the law requires, and since then the range has grown with versions from different casks and a lightly peated one.

House style

Wolfburn aims for a clean, fresh malt, with cereal, citrus, fruit and a briny touch from the northern coastal climate. It uses bourbon and sherry casks of different sizes, and some versions include light peat that adds soft smoke. It is bottled at 46% ABV, without chill filtration and with natural colour. Being a young distillery, its malts are lively and direct, without the weight of age. It is a malt that gains with a few drops of water and is best enjoyed neat.

Where to start

Start with Northland, the benchmark malt, light and coastal. If you prefer something sweeter and rounder, Aurora adds the influence of sherry. It is interesting to compare them with Old Pulteney 12, the other malt from the far north of Scotland, to see two different ways of understanding coastal whisky.

• Wolfburn NorthlandSingle malt · 46% ABV
• Wolfburn AuroraSingle malt · 46% ABV