Wolfburn Potstill Austria 3 Years Old 2014 (55%)

A Wolfburn single malt, a 3 year old from 2014, cask 391, bottled at 55%. Just 167 bottles were filled. Founded in 2013, Wolfburn is a small, hand run distillery at Thurso in Caithness. Everything is done by hand here, from milling to bottling, in the manner of a true small distillery.

The spirit was run through the distillery's one wash and one spirit still, for a clean, fruity make. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the coastal fruit lead. At a youthful age the fruit is lively and the malt clean. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, coastal core over time. 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 55%, undiluted, it is bright and full. Pear, honey and a clean malt, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light apple. A vanilla and a sea air note give it lift. Apple, honey and a sea air lift see out the finish. This is a fresh, maritime far north single malt.