Wolfburn isn’t in the news a lot, but they seem to follow a gradual path towards mature whisky. We tried their first 10 Year Old two years ago and now the new milestone is the Wolfburn 12 Year Old, the oldest so far from the Highlands distillery. This whisky is a combination of second-fill Oloroso sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at 46% ABV.
Wolfburn 12 yo (46%, OB 2025, bourbon + Oloroso sherry casks)
Nose: quite a maritime start, with fisherman’s rope and wet pebblestones, as well as some baker’s yeast and beer notes underneath. Some vegetal smoke, pears and hints of toffee. Then walnuts and hints of hay, as well as some pine wood and even a very light floral touch. There’s also a mushroomy mustiness (dried morels?) that is less to my liking.
Mouth: sweeter than expected, with apple pie and herbal honey. After that it becomes more savoury, on black peppercorns and fresh herbs, hints of smoked mackerel and more of these saline maritime notes. Mild vegetal peat. More walnuts and leafy notes too, making it more austere. On the other hand I find subtle vanilla and hints of cranberries. Still a bit of a musty layer that probably traces back to the sherry casks.
Finish: medium, with lingering peat smoke, a hint of porridge and vague caramel toffee.
The maritime theme makes me think of nearby Old Pulteney in a way, although slightly more rugged. Nice to see Wolfburn is coming of age, as it has a big Highlands presence. Overall a whisky that is nicely different, yet not entirely convincing due to the musty elements. Available from Whiskysite.nl or Tyndrum Whisky among others.