Wolfie’s is a blended Scotch whisky designed to be the ‘rascal’ of whisky and ideal for easy-drinking and mixing. The approach is summed up by their tagline ‘Blends have more fun’. The brand Wolfie’s – and the idea for a playful whisky – was dreamed up by friends Duncan Frew (Wolfie’s CEO) and Sir Rod Stewart (the rather well-known rockstar).
Wolfie’s has launched mid-2023. The founding pair wanted a whisky that took the opposing approach to the overly-premium and stuffy nature that single malt whiskies can be known for. Making it more resemblant of the rock-and-roll attitude that whisky held in Sir Rod’s formative years.
It also needed to be a whisky that was flexible enough – by being smooth, sweet and fruity – that it would adapt to making non-traditional whisky cocktails. The idea was to suit cocktails are more aligned to white spirits, like vodka, tequila, and gin. Having said that it would work just as well in a classic whisky cocktail.
For me Wolfie’s depicts the carefree behaviour of my more mischievous days and the excitement of what life still has to offer — let the good times roll.
Sir Rod Stewart – Co-founder of Wolfie’s
Wolfie’s blended whisky has been produced by Loch Lomond Whisky Distillery. Located in the Scottish Highlands, Loch Lomond has an unusual distillery configuration that allows it to make a reported 14 styles of whisky – perfect to support the production of a blended whisky. The whisky is created by blending single malts aged in ex-Bourbon American oak casks and sweet grain whisky. It is aged for a little over three years.
Wolfie’s Whisky is available in the UK, EU, Switzerland and the US only. It is bottled at 40% ABV and should cost around £30 / 40€ / US$40.
Our Tasting Notes
Wolfie’s is a bright golden coloured whisky. On the nose is bright and uplifting without being overly complex. Obvious and expected notes of vanilla and caramel with praline are there thanks to that ex-bourbon barrel maturation. Thera are also notes of fresh linen, sweet pear drops, and runny honey. A few unexpected notes of peanuts in their shell (that classic bar snack) and a linger of floral perfume.
To drink straight this whisky is light and vibrant on the palate. There is defined balance between honeyed sweetness, maltiness, and a woody oak drying sensation. There are fresh red apples dipped in toffee and some freshly baked cinnamon pastries. Plenty of runny honey and honeysuckle floral are also evident. A whisp of soft sweet peat smoke comes through towards the end.
The finish is short and filled with the flavour of milk chocolate and malted honeycomb (just like Malteser’s). It again balances the honeyed sweet and oak spice with some baking spices that have been left at the back of the pantry for too long, plus that hint of sweet smoke.
What’s The Verdict?
Wolfie’s is a delightfully easy-going whisky. It has a little bit of everything you expect from a ‘mixing whisky’ and nothing is out of place. While it is perfectly ok to sip neat for the review, this is a whisky for fun, so we tried out a few mixers to see what worked.
Possibly unsurprising, it pairs well with cola in a long drink. But sorry to say that it was completely lost when matched with ginger ale. The surprise for us was that it made a refreshing highball with plenty of ice and soda. Dilution brought out the honey and apple flavours and the ice allowed us to sit in the sun with a glass at the end of a hard day’s whisky reviewing.
