A 10 year old expression is always a milestone. Wolfburn distillery up North reached it earlier this year. I remember hearing about the distillery for the first time in 2012 while visiting nearby Old Pulteney. Production started in January 2013. Only a few years later I was quick to review their inaugural Wolfburn single malt.
The Wolfburn 10 Year Old is also the first core range release from the distillery with an age statement. It is aged exclusively in second-fill Oloroso sherry casks.
Wolfburn 10 yo (46%, OB 2023, Oloroso sherry casks)
Nose: plenty of buttered toasts, soaked cereals and light meaty notes. Then hints of cake, fudge and caramel, as well as baked apples. Light nutmeg and vanilla. Chestnut purée. I’m not very fond of this style of sherry, it’s a little bloated and not as clean and fruity as I’d like. Airing helps a little.
Mouth: again slightly below expectations, I’m afraid. There’s milk chocolate with a hint of black pepper, as well as hints of raisins. On the other hand I mostly find a lot of caramel notes with a generic malty base. Then leafy notes and some spirity heat.
Finish: medium, on grainy notes, brown sugar and wood spice.
Not really the benchmark Wolfburn I was expecting. It doesn’t feel entirely mature and the sherry casks give it a caramelly and buttery feel. Bummer. You can get a bottle from Master of Malt or HTFW for instance, or a sample from Whiskysite.nl if you like.