Wolfburn 10 Years Old (46%)

A Small Batch release from Wolfburn, named for the warehouse and stow the casks came from. A 10 year old, bottled at 46%. Set on the wild Caithness coast at Thurso, Wolfburn has made single malt since 2013. The original Wolfburn was founded in 1821 by William Smith and was once the largest distillery in Caithness, falling silent in the 1860s.

The spirit was made by hand in copper stills at Thurso, to build a soft, fruity, coastal character. A wine or fortified cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the coastal spirit. Approaching its limit of age, the spirit turns honeyed and deep. The maritime setting lends a faint salt to the maturing spirit. 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. Most of the make is unpeated, with a lightly peated malt distilled since 2014 for a soft smoke.

At 46% it is clean and coastal. A fresh, fruity coastal sweetness, and the Port cask adds plum and red berry. A green apple and a citrus note lift it. It finishes clean, fresh and fruity. This is Wolfburn, the far north Highland malt.