Generously_Paul
Wolfburn Northland
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
March 9, 2017 (edited June 6, 2017)
Stop number 6 on the SDT is Wolfburn. This is the northernmost distillery in mainland Scotland. Although the age is not part of the name of this whisky, it is 3 years old and is part of the inaugural bottling of the distillery. Aged in ex bourbon quarter casks, it's 46% ABV and non chill filtered. It is also natural color of very pale white wine. The lightest color scotch I've ever seen, but in no way does that bother me.
There is a very strong malty character initially on the nose. Bright citrusy notes, but also somewhat harsh like lemon pledge. Tart/sour apples. A little briny and medicinal with light peat smoke. Some nuttiness like walnuts. After sitting in the glass for a while there is a pear note and green grapes that show up. There's no mistaking that this is a young whisky, but it's not something I would turn my nose up at either.
The palate is initially slight sour apples. Very peppery with a light peat smoke. A little vegetal with some oaky notes. More pepper. Again, young but good.
Medium bodied mouthfeel, mouthwatering that turns semi dry. If you hold it too long in your mouth (20-30 seconds) it will numb the front half of the roof of your mouth. Medium length finish with a light smoke, pepper, oak and citrus.
Imagine if you will, that Laphroaig and Glenfiddich had a baby. That baby then grew up and went to the prom with Talisker and after a few too many schnapps they did what many teenagers do and wound up with their own little bundle of joy. That's when we have here. It's medicinal and smoky with light fruit and maltiness and a strong peppery backbone. There is more complexity than I expected, but it's still young in many areas. Eager to see what this will become in 7-15 years. Thanks to Pranay for the sample.
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Totally agree---will be interesting to see what it becomes after some maturity