Wolfburn Aurora

Rating: 7/23 I vaguely recall that this is a young scotch. Like, barely legal. I'm wary, but let's see how it is. N: The nose is surprisingly rich with toasted barley, hay, and a nice nectar sweetness suggesting peaches, pears, and some vanilla. There's a bit of light spice in here as well - ginger mainly, but also some cinnamon and a hint of clove. It suggests that a bourbon barrel was used to age this. The ethanol does come through, but it isn't tainted by other gross alcohols. I honestly can't guess at the age too well from this nose, but it smells more like it was aged for an extended period (perhaps 15 years?) in somewhat tired but still good barrels. The base spirit smells quite nice as well. It's a success to be sure. P: It's a clean palate that starts with more spice and a drier flavor than I'd expected. The clove and ginger really come out more than I'd expected and there's even a hint of turmeric. The palate is a tad on the thin side and less sweet than I'd expected. The spice really burns and it's a tad harsh, but not too much. The roasted barley is there, but it isn't as rich as I'd expected and it lacks depth. I do get a hint of cinnamon, but I also get a lot of peppery harshness as I drink more. Considering the harshness, this is rapidly losing my favor. It's like it's trying to be a Glen Grant that was nicely aged for an extended period in bourbon barrels, but it hasn't succeeded. There's even a slight soapy hint of some bitter alcohol (from the tails, I think) that didn't get aged out entirely. Based on the harshness, lightness, and presence of a tail flavor that tastes immature, I'm guessing that this is a young whiskey crafted predominantly from hearts. The toasted barley is nice, so I'm not entirely sure of its quality. There's a bit of hay with it too. It doesn't have a chalky cereal flavor belying its youth. It is a bit flavorless aside from the toast though, so I suspect this is an attempt to disguise a young whiskey using mild barley and almost exclusively hearts. F: The spice really lingers more than anything else, retaining its pepperiness and also a bit of woodiness for a long time. It's a pretty bland and slightly unpleasant finish. I really liked the nose here and was expecting to be giving this nearly a 15 based on it. Tragically, the palate and finish are not so good. It's harsh, light, and bland. It's not even as flavorful as Pure Scot, though I'd venture that the flavors it does have are more pleasant and better executed. The two have similar degrees of harshness, though this might be a hair less harsh (a hair). I'd say it's a clear win for Wolfburn, but that is not setting a high bar. Sir Edward's 12 is definitely better. This seems like a 7 to 8. A 9 would be seriously pushing it. I think the 7 bucket is most appropriate here. If it were less harsh, it could be an 8 and might even push its way up to a 9. Wait, looking this up, it's aged in sherry barrels?! It tastes nothing like sherry! How did they make the sherry flavor so invisible?! Either this is some light sherry or these were some tired barrels (probably the latter).

Wolfburn Masterclass at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, May 30th 2019: Whisky #2 Nose: A similar nose to the Northland expression - fruity and floral but substituting a sherry and dark fruit note for the musky brine. Well integrated, rounded and creamy with touches of marmalade, malt and brine. The sherry stays well controlled and acts more like a spice for the fruity distillate rather than striding to centre stage. Palate: A smoother, silkier and sweeter arrival than the Northland. The Wolfburn spicy burst is again present but here it is buffered by sherry. The texture is a little more rounded and overall this is less vibrantly bright than the all-quarter cask Northland. There is a little brine towards the conclusion. Finish: Medium. Spicy sweet with a sweet fruity and umami touch, and tailing off into an ever so faintly salt/sweet cereal finish. The maturation here is in a combination of 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrels and 1st-fill oloroso hogsheads. (Note - this is different to the cask regime stated in the description on this site, but it's correct. There is no quarter-cask component in contemporary Aurora). The whiskies are matured separately and then married in a ratio of 80% bourbon to 20% sherry. The more flavourful and active cask maturation gives this whisky a larger and fruiter presence, and to me it was different but equal in quality to the Northland expression. Northland allows the excellent Wolfburn new-make to be seen in all its naked glory, whereas here the sherry presence and the richness of the 1st-fill casks clothes the new make in sophisticated raiment. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

My first Wolfburn was "Aurora", one of many expressions of this distillery that i have seen a lot lately, but i recently decide to explore its range. It says it has been matured in a combination of ex bourbon casks and oloroso sherry butts. A non-age statement, bottled at 46%abv, non-chill filthered, with a nice light golden color. On the nose it is very appealing. Starts with a maize note, that scared me a little bit, i immidiately thought this was going to be rough and young, but i was wrong. A spongy cake, apple juice; It has this "beach feeling". Canteloupe, very fresh, yeasty and creamy. Lemon grass, danish cookies. After a first sip, it released aromas of vanilla ice cream and a beautiful coconut note. On the palate it is super easy drinkable. Hay,  some tropical flavors. Papaya and cantaloupe. Vanilla fondant; lots of vanilla custard and a dim note of pineapple juice. Aftertaste has a mild Smokey and tobacco note, very appealing. Grassy peaty finish. Not very long but very nice. Overall, this was a very good whisky that i loved. Not overly complex or flavorful, but it manages to deliver a nice experience for the drinker. I did not find any oloroso sherry notes, but the tropical profile and the creamy flavors are very well crafted. My score for this very likeable single malt is 87 over 100.

Nose - Hint of hay, unripe apple, light tea Taste - Floral apple juice sweet, ginger, clover honey, hint of vanilla, gentle heat, hint of lemon pith, light nutty skin bitter Finish - Lingering heat/tingle, light sour floral apples Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - This is a fairly pleasant dram, nothing overly complex & I honestly wouldn't have pegged it as having any sherry influence if I didn't know in advance. This tastes almost like a pure heavily reused ex-bourbon casks as the vanilla notes are very light, overall experience is floral with a hint of apple. Light ginger spice & hint of acidity that I liken to lemon pith. Overall quite drinkable, but not overly complex where you'd want to really sit down with it. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

An elegant, Single Malt Scotch Whisky by the Wolfburn Distillery in Highlands, Scotland with 40% of the spirit is aged in second-fill quarter-casks, 40% in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels & 20% in first-fill Oloroso Sherry hogshead casks. It has an aromatic birth with notes of cut grass, dark chocolate, raw almond & hints of apple; while a balanced life adds notes of raisins, flowers, melons & vanilla; that led to a long & creamy death with notes of rancio, dried spices, oak & a hint of peat. April / December 2020 / August 2022

Sort of artificial bourbon sugary smell. Sherry notes and quarter cask notes are in and out in the background, so dry fruit are there but it's not thrre. Because it's 1st fill bourbon so you get all that wood spicy notes straight to your nose as well as on your palate all the way from start to finish. It's like the name of the distiller Wolf"burn". The bitterness also come through because most likely from 1st fill those american oak. If this is using maybe 2nd or 3rd hand of ex bourbon cask might be better for my taste.