Wolfburn Aurora is the second release from Wolfburn Distillery at Thurso. I had the pleasure of visiting there, tasting some spirit and very much liked their first release the Wolfburn Northland.

So naturally I was eager to try Aurora which was released last September. It’s a no-age-statement whisky, aged for three years in 3 different cask types: A minority (about 20-30%) in first fill Oloroso Sherry hogsheads and the rest in refill quarter casks and first fill ex-Bourbon barrels.

Wolfburn Aurora (46%, Bottled 30/8/16, £48.43/€44.95)

Nose: Malty, creamy, with gentle red fruit (strawberries and raspberries) in the background. They do get stronger over time but it never dominates and leaving the stage to the malt. Honey and a few drops of lemon juice, limestone dust just like in their first release (Northland) and a touch of peat, brine and some random whiffs of youth (young spirit).

Palate: Mildly spicy with pepper, oak spices and salt. Red berries sweetness, honey and malt porridge.

Finish: Medium length, lingering warm pepper tingle, oak wood, sprinkle of salt, sweetness of semi-ripe berries.

Thoughts: It’s a nice enjoyable sipper but is a bit too young from time to time which I didn’t recall having with Northland. The sherry influence is nice but personally I still prefer Northland which has a stronger personality over this one.