Wolfburn 3 Years Old 2013 (46%, OB, 2016)

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Wolfburn Distillery
• Bottling: First release
• ABV: 46%
• Cost: £45.34

What they say

Becoming Scotland’s northernmost mainland whisky producing distillery when it released its first single malt in March 2016, Wolfburn is built just 350m away from the ruins of the 19th century distillery from which it takes its name. With long fermentation, slow manual distillation and maturation taking place at least partly in quarter casks that previously held peated whisky from Islay, this is a release we’ve eagerly anticipated!

Official tasting notes:

• Nose: Initially sweet with notes of fruit and fresh sea air. In the background you’ll find citrus freshness and hints of cereal, and just a trace of peat smoke.
• Palate: Sweet, nutty tones come to the fore, with hints of grapes and honey in the background. Floral flavours abound, enhanced with just a hint of coffee and dark chocolate. It is a lovely rounded whisky, which coats the palate to leave just a trace of peat.

What I say

The first of a string of new distilleries offering 3 year old spirit pretty much the day after it turns into bona fide whisky having reached the magical age of 3 years since distillation. I have followed Wolfburn’s progress pretty much from their beginning and have been anticipating tasting this for the last 3 years. Many thanks to Sjoerd at Malt Fascination for sharing some of his bottle with us.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Light champagne gold (1/20), quick, large tears leave medium legs
• Nose: Fresh and lactic/milky, fireworks, struck matches, sulphury, peat, flint, waxy/oily/buttery, American cream soda, vanilla, peat ash, chalk, green coconut and coconut milk
• Taste: Oily and thick on the palate, mineralic flint and chalk combine with ashen peat, more fireworks and sulphur, metallic copper and iron filings, smoked apple/celery, salt, iodine, milk bottle sweeties
• Finish: Long, green coconut, flint, lactic/farmyard, damp hay

Overall

Massive potential but looking forward to trying some more mature expressions, this reminded me a lot of some of the earlier Kilchoman expressions.

Score 78/100

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Read Sjoerds review of Wolfburn 3 years old