The title of northernmost distillery on the Scottish mainland used to belong to Previous Pulteney, one thing you would possibly nonetheless see said on the labels of bottles purchased a variety of years in the past. In 2012, nevertheless, the title was claimed by Wolfburn when the distillery was rebuilt. Wolfburn is positioned close to the tiny city of Thurso, simply northwest of Wick (the small coastal city the place Previous Pulteney resides). Strictly talking, the brand new Wolfburn distillery was rebuilt a brief distance from the location of the unique distillery. You’ll discover them alongside the stream, “Wolf Burn,” so named for the wolves that used to roam the realm.
After having its doorways closed for greater than 150 years, Wolfburn formally started distilling once more on the twenty fifth of January in 2013; an auspicious date for something whisky-related, because the twenty fifth of January is Burns Night time. Historically, Burns Night time is a celebration of the life and works of Robert Burns, Scotland’s nationwide poet, and it has change into a globally celebrated occasion which serves as a wonderful excuse (if you happen to wanted one!) to drink some whisky.
Given Wolfburn Distillery’s comparatively latest revival, many of the whiskies they’ve produced to this point have been no-age-statement releases. Final yr, nevertheless, Wolfburn launched their first everlasting addition to their core vary that bears an age assertion: Wolfburn 10-year-old (definitely one thing I’ll be looking out for sooner or later).
Wolfburn’s Northland was the primary single malt whisky they ever produced; it was launched in 2016. Northland has no age assertion, however it’s clearly on the younger facet provided that the distillery had solely been up and operational for 3 years by the point they launched it… simply the correct quantity of time to correspond with the authorized minimal age for a Scottish whisky.
But, now that the distillery has been open somewhat longer, the whisky that goes right into a bottle of Northland is somewhat bit older too (estimated at round 7 years, though this might change going ahead). Whereas they’ve stored to the identical flavour profile when producing Northland, the truth that the distillery is now ready to attract on older whiskies that they’ve stacked away implies that the whisky in a bottle of Northland which was bottled in 2016 versus the whisky in a bottle of Northland which was bottled in 2023 received’t style precisely the identical. After I requested the distillery about this, I used to be advised that “a Northland bottled now will style somewhat totally different to an early bottle; the profile would be the similar however will probably be somewhat extra rounded and with somewhat extra depth of flavour.” If anybody has an earlier bottling of Wolfburn’s Northland, this might make for a really attention-grabbing comparability!
The factor that intrigued me most about Northland was studying that it’s aged solely in ex-Islay casks. Unusually sufficient, nevertheless, they don’t clearly state the usage of ex-Islay casks for maturation on the label, and even on their web site, so I needed to attain out to the distillery as a way to affirm that I hadn’t simply dreamed this truth up. They confirmed that that is certainly the case, however specified that – for trademark causes – Wolfburn shouldn’t be allowed to say which distillery on Islay they’re sourcing their casks from. Nonetheless, they do clearly state that Northland is aged in American oak quarter casks, so I believe we might be pretty assured in our guesses relating to the id of the thriller Islay distillery.
It’s price noting that the usage of quarter casks additionally permits for larger interplay between the spirit and the cask throughout the growing old course of. It is because quarter casks (which comprise considerably much less liquid than the extra extensively used hogsheads and ex-sherry butts) present the next wooden floor to liquid ratio. Consequently, although the whisky that makes up Northland is pretty younger, Wolfburn is doing its finest to encourage faster maturation the place it might probably.
Wolfburn are additionally not the one distillery to have launched into the apply of utilizing ex-Islay casks to age or end a whisky, but Northland was the primary instance of such a whisky that I’ve tasted. It strikes me as an attention-grabbing approach of manufacturing whiskies which have a point of peatiness to them, particularly given some latest issues surrounding the long-term sustainability of utilizing peat in whisky-making. This apply might be a method of stretching this treasured useful resource somewhat bit additional.
If being aged in ex-Islay casks doesn’t do fairly sufficient to tantalise your tastebuds, Northland additionally has a variety of different attributes in its favour: it’s bottled at 46% ABV, it’s pure color, and it’s non-chill filtered. Provided that it’s on the youthful facet, nevertheless, at roughly $40 a bottle it’s in all probability somewhat on the dear facet to be sincere (comparatively: for round $37, I can deal with myself to an Previous Pulteney 12-year-old).
Wolfburn Northland – Assessment
Color: Pale straw.
On the nostril: Initially fairly delicate. Floral and lemony, with recent apricots. There’s a word that jogs my memory of white wine, or maybe the fermenting, yeasty aroma of pizza dough. Settles into ripe pineapple. There’s somewhat little bit of a dry, dusty word and really light woodsmoke lurking within the background.
Within the mouth: Preliminary hints of honey, and a few fruity sweetness on the fore. Honeydew melons. There’s a really drying, fragrant wooden word that turns into fairly dominant pretty shortly, adopted by a darkish chocolate bitterness. Mushy and pretty easy in texture.
The sense of actually having simply eaten a sq. of very darkish chocolate lingers within the mouth for fairly a while, together with the slightest trace of smoke, and maybe the faintest trace of espresso.
Apparently, the aromas that linger within the empty glass lean towards wealthy caramel, toffee and candy spiciness, and are not like the aromas initially detected.
Conclusions:
Total, Northland is a whisky I actually loved. Whereas not essentially one for the hardened peat heads (any smoky flavours on this whisky are very a lot a delicate afterthought), it presents a broad vary of flavours that it felt price taking the time to savour.
Rating: 6/10
I’ll be unhappy to complete off my bottle, and I’ll probably search out a substitute earlier than too lengthy. I appreciated the fragile complexity this whisky offered me with, in addition to the subtlety in flavours afforded by way of ex-Islay casks. It’s, maybe, ever so barely on the costly facet provided that it lacks an age-statement, however I believe it’s nonetheless an attention-grabbing and complicated sufficient whisky that it might probably nearly get away with its asking value.
