Elsburn Wayfare - Batch 003

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 58.2% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Elsburn Wayfare Batch 003 brings together whiskies from five different cask types. Half of the components, aged for four to eleven years, matured in Sherry Hogsheads; the other half matured in Port, Marsala, Málaga and Grand Cru Claret Hogsheads. The release thus combines different maturation periods with a broad selection of wine and sherry casks.

Wayfare is one of Elsburn's annual special releases. Batch 003 was bottled in 2023 at a cask strength of 58.2%, with an outturn of 3,840 bottles. The whisky has no added colouring and is not chill-filtered. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The whisky opens with intense aromas of fruitcake and baked raisins, with the high alcohol strength subtly perceptible. Sweet berries, speculoos biscuits and light caramel cream then emerge. Later, moderate oak notes and delicate hints of salt, pecan and mocha add to the bouquet.
• Palate: On the palate, the whisky is powerful yet approachable and surprisingly velvety. Raisin biscuits with meringue and sweet grapes shape the initial flavours, while candied fruit becomes increasingly prominent. Subtle oak, light-coloured chocolate and a firm spicy edge follow. Vanilla and caramel provide sweet accents at the end.
• Finish: Chocolate and oak linger in the medium-length finish, alongside lingering fruity notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hercynian Distilling Co. / Hammerschmiede is a family business in Zorge in the Harz region. The company has produced spirits since 1985 and began filling its first casks with whisky spirit in 2002. Three years later, it released its first Harz single malt. Initially known as THE GLEN ELS, the brand has been called ELSBURN since 2019.

The distillery uses regional malted barley and mountain spring water to produce its whisky. Fermentation takes place in French oak vats with top-fermenting yeasts and usually lasts around five days. The spirit is then distilled twice in wood-fired pot stills. During the second distillation, Anna Buchholz or an experienced distiller decides when to separate the heart intended for cask maturation from the heads and tails.

The distillery deliberately works with different cask types, cask sizes and maturation periods to develop different expressions of its single malt. The final stages also remain manual: the bottles are filled, closed, sealed, labelled and prepared for presentation by hand.

Facts: