Wolfburn Drams on the Burn

Wolfburn Drams on the Burn, a single malt from the far north distillery at Thurso, bottled at 46%. Set on the wild Caithness coast at Thurso, Wolfburn has made single malt since 2013. The Kylver Series of single casks is named for the runes of an ancient Caithness stone.

The spirit was made by hand in copper stills at Thurso, to build a soft, fruity, coastal character. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the coastal fruit lead. Carrying no age, it leans on apple, citrus and a clean malt. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, the wood adding much of the colour. 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. The far north air, salt laden and cool, lends the maturing spirit a coastal edge. The original Wolfburn, founded in 1821 by William Smith, was once the largest distillery in Caithness before falling silent in the 1860s.

At 46% it is soft, fruity and clean. A fresh, fruity coastal sweetness, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light apple. It is clean and fruity, the young spirit shining through. A fruity, gently saline finish lingers. This is a fruity Highland malt from Scotland's most northerly mainland distillery.