Wolfburn Langskip

Wolfburn tasting evening at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, May 30th 2019: Whisky #5 Nose: Big, sweet floral and fruity. Butterscotch and toffee with fruit aromas. There are some hints that remind you this is a young spirit (the slightly hard and almost gritty notes). On the whole this is very much like the Northland expression on steroids. A slightly soapy aroma is the only off note. Palate: Sweet and smooth with a somewhat hot arrival from the high abv (however there's no intrusive ethanol note). Some vanilla and the characteristic Wolfburn spice character is still present but it's now well into a supporting role. The texture is oily and quite thick. There is a briny intrusion but the main fault (if indeed it is a fault) of the palate is simplicity. There is no substitute for maturity, and this spirit needs more time in the cask to achieve greatness. Finish: Medium/long. The spicy notes are the main feature, and they gradually fade into a sweet aftertaste. Langskip (i.e. "longship") is a cask-strength release matured exclusively in first-fill bourbon casks for 5 years. It's a big, spirit-forward whisky as the casks have not had enough time to exert a lot of influence. Water opens the palate, increases sweetness and refreshes the spice notes, but it tends to reveal the simplicity of the profile at the same time. The only faults with this whisky are due to youth - it is a bit narrow of profile, short-lived and falls apart quickly. However what is present is all of a very high order. Obviously a young distillery needs to release product as soon as possible, and make no mistake, this is a good whisky, but I'd love to taste this with a further 5 years of maturation when it has gained some composure and authority. At that time it will probably be quite awesome. "Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Boiled sweets, crystalised ginger, malt Palate: Dried fruit (sultanas and apricots), ginger, pepper and pine nuts Finish: Quite a short finish, more of the ginger and pepper. Still some sweet fruit which is quite bright and lively right at the end (Granny Smith and citrus) A drop of water really opens this up and you start to get a much more layered experience. The fruit really pops out at you, but you retain that lovely spiciness. Overall, I've been rather impressed with a lot of the Wolfburn releases. They have a consistent quality across the range and this is no exception. It's a little tight at the full 58% from the bottle, so I'd really recommend a couple of drops of water in this one - it really livens it up. Another nice dram from Wolfburn.

Nose: powerful and pungent, apples and pears, vanilla, ex bourbon wood. Palate: 58° hit with chocolate and raisins, marzipan, very “hot”. Warm and silky finish, soft, leaves a wonderful chocolate flavor. Great nas, even if I'm not a fan of whiskey with such high alcohol content I was very impressed here. Rating 4.25 _____________________________________ Naso: potente e pungente, mele e pere, vaniglia, legno ex bourbon. Palato: botta di 58* al cioccolato e uvetta, marzapane, molto “caldo”. Finale caldo e setoso, morbido, lascia un meraviglioso sapore di cioccolato. Ottimo nas, anche se non sono fan di whisky con gradazione così elevata qui sono rimasto colpito favorevolmente. Voto 4,25

This isn't bad at all but it does nothing to get me excited. It feels young, but it's not terrible. There are some sour notes that make me wonder about the quality of the oak. I would have expected more bourbon notes with it being american oak/ex-bourbon Nose: Light, floral, dried fruits, sugar, almond Palate: Vanilla, almond, citrus, juicy oak, ethanol, bitters Finish: Long, slightly bitter with a spicy prickle Mouthfeel: Warming, slightly oily

I tasted most products of Wolfburn at a tasting event. Out of Aurora, 375, Northland, Morven, Langskip, The Nectar, and 318, I prefered the 375 and 318. However, at this pricepoint there are better options out there for me. Langskip initially had apple and candy in the nose. It fills your mouth. Peppery burn and alcoholburn, apple, salty seawater, almond, a little medicinal, caramel.

Received this as a taster in an advent calendar. It took a minute to experience the nose in this. Be patient! Very malty. What a blast of flavor on the palette. Sits well and sweet on the tongue, while it lasts. It quickly finishes and just leaves an alcohol burn in the back of your throat.