Wolfburn Northland, Aurora, Morven, and 2022 Winter Edition Single Malt Scotch Reviews & Tasting Notes

One of the things that real estate professionals will tell you is there are only three things that matter: location, location, and location. Suppose you go as far north as possible on the Scottish mainland. In that case, you’ll wind up at Thurso in the Highlands region, and you’ll be staring at a distillery called Wolfburn.

 

Wolfburn states it is both the first and last distillery on the mainland. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry; it was also to me.

 

Founded in 1821 by William Smith, the Wolfburn distillery remained in the family until 1837, when it was shuttered. It was reopened by David Smith in 1852, but it only lasted a year before the distillery was again abandoned. Some stories suggest someone produced whisky there in the 1860s, but it closed for good and subsequently fell into disrepair. In the 1870s, the distillery was in ruins, and nobody thought much of it.

 

“In May 2011 one of our team went to locate the site of the old Wolfburn Distillery in Thurso, Caithness. After 150 years of neglect what we found was a barely discernible pile of stones, but one thing remained from the yesteryears of Wolfburn distillery; the water. The cold clear waters that fed the mash tun and stills all those years ago were still flowing just as they always had, and if the Wolf Burn was still there then we reckoned the whisky could be too.” - Wolfburn

 

Today I’m exploring four of Wolfburn’s Single Malt Whiskies: Northland, Aurora, Morven, and the 2022 Winter Edition. But, before I #DrinkCurious, I must thank ImpEx Beverages, the exclusive US-based distributor for Wolfburn, for providing me samples in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews. Finally, there is an expected price increase coming shortly, but the prices listed are for what’s on the shelf now. ImpEx Beverages did suggest it will add about $5.00 or so. With that being said, let’s get to the reviews.

 

Wolfburn Northland

 

Up first is Northland, the distillery’s flagship whisky. Matured in American oak quarter casks, the Scotch is non-chill filtered and naturally colored. It weighs in at 46% ABV (92°) and has a retail price of about $74.99.

 

Appearance: Northland Single Malt presented as blonde straw in my Glencairn glass. A medium-thick rim produced husky legs but left behind sticky droplets.

 

Nose: A fruity nose offered smells of citrus, apple, pineapple, caramel, and light smoke. Only the pineapple came through when I drew the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: The front of my palate encountered a lightly-peated whisky with honey and white grape. As it hit the middle, I found vanilla, caramel, and pineapple, while the back tasted of clove, oak, and black pepper. The mouthfeel was thin and oily.

 

Finish: The spice and smoke notes were the most prominent and lasted several minutes. There was also no doubt about its stated proof.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: If I lived in the northernmost point of the mainland, I’d want something that would help keep me warm and taste great. That’s precisely what you get with Northland. It is flavorful, and it grabs and keeps your attention. You will love this whisky if you like a Highland Scotch with a smoky character. It snags my Bottle rating.

 

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Wolfburn Aurora

 

Second in line is Aurora, the sherried version of its whisky. Wolfburn used Oloroso sherry and American oak for the aging process. It is non-chill filtered and naturally colored. It is packaged at 46% ABV (92°) and costs about $74.99.

 

Appearance: This whisky presented as yellow gold as it left a thicker rim on the wall of my Glencairn glass. Slow, wide tears rolled back to the pool.

 

Nose: The sherry influence impacted the aromas. Nuts, pear, raisin, and prune melded with mocha. Coffee rolled across my tongue as I sucked the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: A light, airy texture tasted of honeysuckle, rose petals, and vanilla on the front of my palate. Midway through, I tasted chocolate, almond, and golden raisin. The back featured nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. 

 

Finish: Almond, nutmeg, and vanilla stuck created a medium-length finish.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Unlike Northland, Aurora had no evidence of peat whatsoever. It was aptly named; everything from start to finish was light and airy. Flavors meshed well together, and it left me with a smile. It also drank way under the stated proof. This is a Scotch you can sip while hanging out on your backyard deck during the summer months. Aurora is a winner, and I’m pleased to give it my seal of approval and a Bottle rating.

 

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Wolfburn Morven

 

 

From there, we check out Morven. This is a peated expression. It slept in American oak and quarter casks before being bottled at 46% ABV (92°), it is non-chill filtered and naturally colored, and you can expect to spend about $74.99. For the record, I love peated whiskies and am curious how this differs from Northland.

 

Appearance: In my Glencairn glass, this Scotch looked like pale straw. A thin rim produced a wavy curtain that crashed early.

 

Nose: Oh yeah. Peat was quickly found. It was more of the marine variety than the usual smokiness one might expect. I sniffed this one probably more than I should, but I was enchanted by this perfume. Sweet apple and pear notes were hidden beneath the ocean air, and the whole thing was rounded by vanilla bean. When I inhaled through my mouth, it tasted of salted caramel.

 

Palate: The sensation across my tongue was oily and full-bodied, with flavors of lemon curd, meringue, and powdered sugar on the front. I discovered a certain earthiness, along with honey and grass on the middle, which yielded to brine, smoke, and oak on the back.

 

Finish: I was caught up in fantasy, and suddenly, the rug was yanked out from under my feet! The finish was so concise that I had difficulty picking anything out. After many sips, I was able to dig out brine and smoke.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The nose on Morven was absolutely outstanding. I thought it nice that the palate’s peatiness waited for the back before its appearance. The meringue isn’t a note I often encounter. My only complaint is that I got lost in the whole experience, but it ended quickly; I felt robbed. However, that’s not enough to warrant a markdown for this whisky. It is worthy of my Bottle rating.

 

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Wolfburn 2022 Winter Edition

  

Last but not least, there’s the annual limited release of its Winter Edition. It, too, is 46% ABV (92°) after spending six years in first-fill Oloroso sherry hogsheads and Bourbon barrels. There was no added coloring, and it is non-chill filtered. You should be able to acquire it for about $99.99.

 

Appearance: This whisky appeared as pale gold. The thin rim produced widely-spaced tears that raced down the wall of my Glencairn glass.

 

Nose: I found Winter Edition to have a very malty aroma. It caused me great effort to try and get past it to determine if there was anything else to smell. I found that raw honey, dried apricot, and peach were underneath, and those being so submissive was understandable. Golden raisins danced across my tongue as I forced the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was oily with a medium body. Sweet fruits exploded in my mouth, with raisin, prune, and fig tackling the front of my palate. Vanilla, almond, and walnut rolled across my mid-palate. On the back, I tasted raw ginger, French oak, and dark chocolate.

 

Finish: Medium in duration, notes of ginger spice, walnut, and fig remained on my tongue and in my throat.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found Winter Edition complex; it kept asking me to delve deeper to smell and taste everything. It was almost as if I was on a treasure hunt. The ginger was a spicy treat and highlighted the whole tasting experience. It is worth adding this to my whisky library, and its Bottle rating deserves it.

 

Final Thoughts: Of the four Wolfburn single malts, they were all impressive, but some were more than others. In order from first to fourth, my ranking is Morven, Northland, 2022 Winter Edition, and then Aurora. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.