This is a pre arrival offering with a firm cutoff date. Timing is an estimate and can shift due to carrier schedules, port congestion, customs, or warehouse receiving.
WOLFBURN MADEIRA CASK FINISH, 12 YEAR OLD SMALL BATCH
The Occasion
Some of Wolfburn's Oldest Whisky, in Wood They Almost Never Get
Wolfburn only restarted distilling in 2013, so a 12 year old is close to the oldest spirit in the warehouse. This is that spirit, laid down in first fill bourbon in 2014 and moved into first fill Madeira casks for its final year. Madeira wood does not come onto the market often. When it did, they bought it, and they filled it with their best.
This release has not been announced in the UK yet. It is on our November import because Wolfburn is veteran owned, we are veteran owned, and that turns out to count for a lot at the top of Scotland.
In Wolfburn's own words: time for a truly special treat. Madeira casks don't often come onto the market, so when they spotted some beauties last year they snapped them up. Then they filled them with some of their oldest whisky: 12 years old, to be precise. This limited-release whisky was initially laid down in first fill bourbon casks in 2014 and transferred into these wonderful Madeira casks for the last year of maturation. Soft hints of delicate Madeira wine have infused perfectly into the spirit, lending it a remarkable sweetness and depth of flavour. There are just 2,982 bottles in total.
Distillery profile, Wolfburn
- One of the most northerly distilleries on the Scottish mainland, in Thurso, Caithness, a short walk from the site of the original Wolfburn of 1821.
- Revived in 2013. Everything is made the traditional way: without haste, by hand, long fermentation, slow and gentle distillation.
- Maturation in purpose-built warehouses a short distance from the sea.
- Veteran owned. Their motto: Fortune favours the brave.
Cask profile, 1st fill Madeira finish
Madeira is a fortified wine from the Atlantic island of the same name, deliberately heated and oxidised as it ages. A first fill Madeira cask is saturated with orange marmalade, dried apricot, raisin and toffee.
Eleven years in bourbon wood built a clean, honeyed base. One year in Madeira laid the fruit on top. Bottled at 46%, natural colour, non-chill filtered.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Wolfburn Distillery |
| Release name | Madeira Cask Finish, Aged 12 Years |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky, small batch |
| Region | Highland (Thurso, Caithness) |
| Age | 12 years |
| ABV | 46% |
| Volume | 700 ml, gift boxed |
| Maturation | 1st fill bourbon casks, filled 2014 |
| Finish | 1st fill Madeira casks, final 12 months |
| Outturn | 2,982 bottles worldwide |
| Bottled | 2026, distilled, matured and bottled in Thurso |
| Natural colour | Yes |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
The Whiskey Lab's Quality Commitments
- Small Batch: A limited outturn, never repeated.
- Natural Colour & Non-Chill Filtered: Preserving the authentic character and purity of the whisky.
- Honest Storytelling: Every cask profile, every tasting note, written by people who actually tasted the whisky.
