Wolfburn Morven Single Malt

Wolfburn tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, May 30th 2019: Whisky #3 Nose: A very mild, almost shy peat-reek that dances around a fruity-floral distillate. Pineapple, tangerine, peach and apricot nectar, but in a subtle and dilute form. The initial nosing is floral, almost candied, with fruit and a touch of vanilla, but over time as the whisky rests and opens in the glass smoke becomes more apparent. It's a simple nose but the balance between the two key components is good. Palate: A sweeter and richer arrival than the stablemate Northland and Aurora expressions. The peat smoke is stronger on the palate than it is on the nose and the tasting notes are reversed - the smoke arrives first and then in the development the fruity and sweet notes emerge. There is a little hint of brine and the spicy kick in the development that is characteristic of young Wolfburn is here much less spiky and bright - more sweet chili sauce and ginger in syrup than black and white pepper. Raisin and sweet malt make an appearance and the texture is well balanced - just slightly on the creamy side of neutral. Finish: Medium/long. The spicy and smoke characteristics die away slowly and the finish is pleasant overall, but there is a bitter quality in the aftertaste. An enjoyable whisky produced using very lightly peated malt (

My second Wolfburn is this "Morven", and this was a expression that i have actually heard a lot in the past two years, since it has been acclaimed by some critics that i follow. Another NAS from this distillery, marketed as a lightly peated single malt. Bottled at 46%abv, pale straw color. On the nose, very peaty actually, in a very aromatic and gentle way. Burnt hay and ashtray are the first recognizable notes. Cigarrettes, lemongrass, fairly peated. It has a citric note that resembles a cheap air freshener. After a first sip, it released pear notes, meringue and ham. On the palate, starts spicy and slowly releases some fruity notes. Pepper, gooseberries, ashy and dim salt. A second aip gave me apples, sider and Vanilla cream. Meringue. Aftertaste is peaty and smooth. Cigarrette smoke, salt and a ghostly apple note. Short and not very complex but not bad. Overall, i really think this could be a good whisky for people who are starting to explore peaty flavors and aromas. Feels like an entry level dram, very well delivered without harsh alcohol notes. A balanced single malt, my score for it is a fair 85 over 100.

A complex, Single Malt Scotch Whisky by the Wolfburn Distillery in Highlands, Scotland; a lightly peated version of their signature Highland Single Malt released in 2017. It has an aromatic birth with notes of smoke, sea salt, bitter oak, white grapes, tart apple & warm earth; while a rich & nutty life adds notes of pipe-smoke, candied cherry, caramelized fruit, biscuits & pepper; that led to a rich & spicy death with hints of shortbread, ginger, dried fruits & baking spices. May 2020 / August 2022

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. First off, this is an extremely easy whisky to drink. There’s a little peat in there (10ppm) and some coastal saltiness. It doesn’t have the wilder tastes of some of the Islay heavy hitters, but they have used some ex-Laphroaig Quarter Casks and you can certainly taste it throughout. The finish on this one brings out more smoke, some spiciness and an aftertaste of ginger and chilli that stays for ages. Another delicious dram from Wolfburn.

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. Morven had light peaty bbqsmoke in the nose and mouth. A bit of medicinal alcohol. Not super impactful in terms of flavour.

This one is not much better then its sibling “Northland”. The peat gives it some character but sadly enough I don’t get much more except the peat and the light fruitiness of the base “Northland”. Sadly the peat also is not very pleasant and feels misplaced. It really needs some age, that might help it.