Wolfburn 8 Years Old

A Wolfburn single malt, an 8 year old, bottled at 46%. Wolfburn brought whisky back to Thurso in 2013, reviving a name first raised in 1821 just up the burn. Water comes from the Wolf Burn, the stream that runs past the distillery to the sea.

It was drawn off a single pair of Forsyths copper stills, building the lightly peated far north style. A refill bourbon cask held it, keeping the clean character to the fore. Around six to nine years the smoke softens, settling over honey and apple. Quarter casks, smaller than usual, speed the exchange between spirit and wood. The stills came from Forsyths of Rothes, the most respected still maker in the business. The distillery sits among the rugged scenery of Caithness, near the cliffs and beaches of the north coast. Hand filling and hand labelling are still the rule in the warehouses here. A young distillery, Wolfburn has built a following quickly since its first single malt in 2016.

At an easy 46% it is light. A smoky, fresh coastal fruit, and the refill bourbon lends a quiet vanilla. It is fresh and lightly smoky, the young spirit beneath. A softly smoky, fruity finish lingers. This is a softly smoky far north single malt.