After a row of lowland whiskies from Clydeside to Lagg, I needed to go to the completely opposite side of Scotland. So off we go to what is currently the Northernmost distillery with whisky available for sale in the Scottish Mainland. Today, I will review the Wolfburn Morven lightly peated single malt. And while I am at it, I’ll use this review to take a moment and reflect on this distillery’s approach to releases. Maybe it is a sign of getting older, but I am left mildly confused.
TL:DR: Competently made and less youthful than I might have expected, yet a bit uninspiring
Score*: 5, Average, in a good way
Wolfburn, reborn
The original Wolfburn distillery existed between 1822 and some time during the 1850s. Very few records remain. Based on tax records it seems to have been a respectably sized distillery for the time. The current Wolfburn is much younger, founded in 2013, and, for not much longer, is the northernmost distillery with whisky on the market on the Scottish mainland. Wolfburn is set to lose that claim once 8 Doors and Northpoint release their product.
The distillery has an output of 125,000 lpa, and produces mostly unpeated spirit, in its two wide and short stills. One aspect all whisky enthusiasts will appreciate is that all the production is bottled at 46% or above, is not chill filtered nor caramel coloured.
The regular releases include the 10-year-old, fully aged in 2nd fill Oloroso; the Northland, aged in bourbon quarter cask; the Aurora, aged in ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso; the Langskip, a cask strength release aged in first-fill Bourbon casks; and today whisky in review, the Morven, the only peated one, and lightly at that, of the bunch. That might already be a bit much for a young distillery with a relatively low output, but I get that it is a way to show the versatility of the spirit.
Special Release Galore
Let’s get to where Wolfburn loses me: the sheer volume of releases they have put out in these 11 years. It simply baffles and confuses me. Special releases can be a way to keep the whisky aficionados interested, sure. But how much is too much?
For some, the standard lineup may be a bit crowded for a new distillery, but I don’t mind the variety.
What I don’t get is the multitude of special releases, a whopping 170 since the inaugural release in 2015, based on the Whiskybase entries available as I write this (end of October 2024). And if I look at just the past 3 years, it’s an average of 25 per year. There are the bi-yearly Small batch releases, usually some sort of cask finish. There is the Kylver series, inspired by the Norse alphabet and lots and lots of limited bottlings for festivities, partnerships, and so on.
According to the distillery’s marketing, these are special casks, unique experiments and so on. I cannot help but ask myself how the standard releases fare if all the interesting stuff really ends up in special bottlings. Also, with all these releases and relatively low production volumes, how much spirit is being left to age for future products with age statements in the teens? I know Wolfburn has fans out there, so it might just be me. All I know is that I remain confused.
In the end, it is the hard product that counts. Let’s get to the proper liquid and review the Wolfburn Morven.
Wolfburn Morven
Specs
Price paid: €44.87
Bottled date: 16.07.2023
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: yes
Non-chill filtered: yes
Casks Used: No info provided but a few of my regular online shops state ex-Bourbon
Tasting Notes
Colour: Very pale straw, a solid indication of an ex-Bourbon cask ageing.
Nose: Medium intensity and moderately complex. There is a chalky mineral note with vanilla, barley and canned pineapple to start. The mild peat is medicinal and floral, with a touch of camphor. In the background, a hint of spice with white pepper and aniseed.
Taste and finish: The mouthfeel is pleasantly smooth and medium-textured. The flavour reminds me of crushed grains, some medicinal peat, and a slight aniseed hint. There is a touch of bitterness and youth, but not overly so.
The finish is medium in length, failry simple with sweet crushed grain, peat and hint of the mineral chalky note I got on the nose.
Score: 5, average, in a good way
The Wolfburn Morven in this review could serve as an example of why I chose to use Dramface’s scoring scale. A scale where 5 is a good score. Not a great one but one that says that this is a competently made whisky, pleasant and fairly priced. The Morven might not be a dram that will stick in my memory forever, but it does what it says on the tin. I should also mention that considering Wolfburn output is mainly unpeated, I might not have picked the best representative of the distillery. Still, what I end up asking myself is, in a growing sea of new distilleries and tightening market conditions, if this is enough to make Wolburn stand out. And, as I said previously, I do wonder if reducing the unending stream of special releases might create a slight lack of focus on its core range.
* Score are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of Wolfburn Morven I enjoyed:
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