Wolfburn The Anniversary Series 8 Years Old 2015

A Wolfburn single malt, an 8 year old from 2015, cask 274, bottled at 54.8%. Just 680 bottles were filled. Wolfburn brought whisky back to Thurso in 2013, reviving a name first raised in 1821 just up the burn. Most of the make is unpeated, with a lightly peated malt distilled since 2014 for a gentle smoke.

It was drawn off a single pair of Forsyths copper stills, for the light, fresh, maritime make Wolfburn is known for. A refill bourbon cask held it, keeping the clean character to the fore. Past five years the make gains a fuller fruit while staying fresh. Quarter casks, smaller than usual, speed the exchange between spirit and wood. The new distillery stands about 350 metres from the old ruins, sharing the Wolf Burn that names them both. It is the most northerly distillery on the Scottish mainland, a stop on the North Coast 500. Everything here is done by hand, from milling to bottling, the mark of a true small distillery.

At its natural 54.8% it is concentrated. A crisp, coastal fruit, and the refill bourbon lends a quiet vanilla. A green apple and a citrus note lift it. It finishes clean, fresh and fruity. This is Wolfburn, the far north Highland malt.