Tom continues his love affair with new-ish distilleries by reviewing the first ever 10 year old Wolfburn!

Not only the first ever Wolfburn 10, but as far as we can trust a quick search on Google, also the first review of said whisky!

Wolfburn Distillery released their first age stated “10 Years Old” expression. Well worth a heartfelt congratulations to the team behind this accomplishment. As one of the first from a wave of new distilleries, Wolfburn released their share of bottles of the years. I got to admit I tasted only a handful and those did not make me an immediate fan. Maybe that was because of immaturity, so let’s dive in with this 10 years old then.

Sniff
The Spanish oak gave the whisky a light brown color, and I dare say the wood was not overly active, which is a good thing. I find notes of butter, wet woodland and green tree bark. You can easily imagine walking in the sparse Caithness forests. Also, there is a nice sense of fudge. Not very expressive, rather subdued. The buttery note is a bit too dominant, reminiscent of a style that was more common 20 years ago. 

Sip
The taste is mostly about chocolate notes and a gentle oaky sweetness. The overall feel is very smooth but maybe a bit one-dimensional. Let’s call it straightforward. Pleasant to drink. Even though I’m drawn to forest notes, there is certainly a coastal character in the background. This whisky comes from rugged lands! 

Swallow
A bit hot, despite the excellent drinking strength. With a drop of water the sweet chocolate and oak character takes center stage. 

Though the Wolfburn 10 makes me feel very nostalgic for the early days of me exploring malt whisky, this expression is very generic and modest. Maybe that’s a smart choice for Wolfburn, to really have a gateway to what they have to offer. I also think that this spirit can easily mature longer, so I do look forward to (older) future releases. For now, the Wolfburn 10 is an easy sipping whisky.

80/100

Available at Tyndrum Whisky for £ 64.50

About Tom van Engelen

Tom is a whisky enthusiast since the beginning of this millennium, not only savoring the taste of the drink but also the soul of it. Malt whisky from Scotland therefor remains his favorite focus. As former editor of the oldest Dutch whisky magazine he found a passion in writing about whisky too, with a mild preference for the nostalgic. He lives between the big rivers of the Netherlands with his wife Dasha, daughter Sasha and cat Amour.