Overview
Wolfburn distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. After ceasing production in the 1850s it reopened in 2013.
Location and contact details
Location: Wolfburn Distillery, Henderson Park, Thurso KW14 7XW, UK
Visit Type: By appointment only
Co-ordinates: 58.596512, -3.549494
Telephone: +44 (0) 1847 891 051
Email: info[at]wolfburn.com
Web: https://wolfburn.com/ 
Twitter: Wolfburn (@wolfburn_whisky)Facts and figures
| Location | Wolfburn Distillery, Henderson Park, Thurso KW14 7XW, UK |
| Founded | 1822 |
| Owner | William Smith |
| Water Source | Wolf Burn |
| Stills | 1 wash still 1 spirit still |
Tours
Distillery Tour
£10
Wolfburn is open to visitors. Tours take place daily (Mon-Fri) at 2pm, and for those who just want to buy a bottle or take a quick photo, the distillery is open to drop-in visitors all day (10:00am-4:30pm).
Review: Distillery Tour (14:00 on 04/10/2019)
Price: £10
Wolfburn is one of the new Scotch whisky distilleries; it is not in an old building, but a metal warehouse type building on an business park with two warehouses next door. I visited Wolfburn back in May 2017; much of the distillery is the same, but it is now easier to find.
In 2017, there were no signs on the main road, there is now a brown tourism sign, and the distillery itself only had a small plaque next to the door, but now there is a metal wolf artwork outside and a large sign on the building itself. Inside, much is the same as it was although they are now open throughout the day with the shop tucked into one corner.
The tour consisted of five people, including myself; two Americans I'd shared a tour with at Clynelish and a Dutch couple.
The distillery's production area, is very linear and modern. The tour starts with a description of the malting and milling process while stood near the mill, which is behind various pipes and tubes. Then climbing the stairs you see the mash tun, wash backs and then to the two copper pot stills and spirit safe.
Each part of the process is well explained and you get to see everything close up; photography is allowed everywhere and they allow time fr you to get some photos taken.
After the production area, we stepped out of the distillery and visited Warehouse 1 to see the maturing whisky; the various barrels used and why was explained, before we went back to the distillery shop for the tastings.
The whiskies tasted were:
- Wolfburn Aurora Single Malt Single Malt Whisky
- Wolfburn Northland Single Malt Whisky
- Wolfburn Langskip Single Malt Whisky
- Wolfburn Morven Single Malt Whisky
Wolfburn encourage drivers not to drink and drive by allowing drivers to choose between a 5 cl bottle of the Northland| or Morven.
History
Wolfburn distillery was founded just to the west of the town of Thurso, Caithness, in 1821 by William Smith. The distillery was of considerable size for its day and ran as a successful commercial enterprise for several decades, being handed down through several generations of the Smith family. It is thought to have ceased production during the 1850s, although the exact date is a matter of debate. The distillery appears on the first Ordnance Survey map of the area, dated 1872, marked as a ruin. The reasons for its demise are unclear - very little remains of the original distillery and there are no known photographs. However, records of its annual production volumes of whisky can be found in tax returns, which show it producing 28,056 “Total Gallons of Proof Spirit†during 1826 (roughly 125,000 litres) – making it the biggest distillery in Caithness at the time.
In 2012 a private consortium gained approval from the Caithness planning authorities to build a new Wolfburn distillery in Henderson Park, Thurso. The new distillery is situated approximately 350 m from the site of the old one and draws its water from the Wolf Burn (stream), whence it gets its name. The reinvented Wolfburn site consists of four buildings: the distillery itself and three warehouses for the laying down of casks. Local fabricators Forsyths were contracted to install the distillery plant and equipment. Wolfburn is the most northerly whisky distillery on the Scottish mainland and produces single malt Scotch whisky. Production commenced in early 2013.
In February 2016 the new Wolfburn distillery commenced bottling operations, in a purpose-built on-site bottling facility. The inaugural whisky was launched globally in March 2016 and has gone on to win three gold medal awards in consecutive international competitions.
