Wolfburn Pot Still Festival 2017 4 Years Old 2013

A Wolfburn single malt, a 4 year old from 2013, cask 711, bottled at 55%. Just 154 bottles were filled. Founded in 2013, Wolfburn is a small, hand run distillery at Thurso in Caithness. The Kylver Series of single casks is named for the runes of an ancient Caithness stone.

The spirit was run through the distillery's one wash and one spirit still, for a clean, fruity make. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the fresh fruit. At just a few years old it is bright and fresh, the young coastal spirit to the fore. A long fermentation builds the fruity esters the casks then frame. The core range runs Northland, Aurora, Morven and Langskip, names drawn from the far north. The Kylver Series gathers single casks named for the runes of an ancient Caithness stone. Water is drawn from the Wolf Burn, the stream that runs past the distillery to the sea. Wolfburn distils, matures and bottles all on its one small site at Thurso.

Undiluted at 55%, it is powerful. Pear, honey and a clean malt, and vanilla and a soft oak come from the bourbon wood. The mouthfeel is light, the fruit carried on a clean body. A long, fruity finish carries a coastal lift. This is a clean, fruity Highland single malt.