Wolfburn No. 177

Wolfburn's Small Batch release No. 177, named for the warehouse and stow the casks came from. Bottled at 46%. Wolfburn brought whisky back to Thurso in 2013, reviving a name first raised in 1821 just up the burn. Everything is done by hand here, from milling to bottling, in the manner of a true small distillery.

The spirit was made by hand in copper stills at Thurso, to build a soft, fruity, coastal character. Maturation in a fortified cask lent red fruit and spice. Carrying no age, it leans on apple, citrus and a clean malt. The maritime setting lends a faint salt to the maturing spirit. 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. The core range runs Northland, Aurora, Morven and Langskip, names drawn from the far north.

Reduced to 46%, it is gentle. A fresh, fruity coastal sweetness, and the Rum cask brings brown sugar and a tropical lift. 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.